A Careless Man's Careful Daughter
by Rebekah Matthews
Summary: This story follows Ash and Misty, inspired by Taylor Swift's song 'Mine'. Ash has returned to Kanto following his top 8 ranking at the Vertress Conference in Unova and it's been two years since he'd seen Misty. She's visiting him in Pallet Town where some adventures and bumps in the road occur along the way. Some hard truths and love wage war but which is stronger?
1. Prologue

Author's note: Thanks for visiting my new story. Please, leave me reviews. I will be updating this story chapter by chapter regularly as the story is already written - reviews will encourage me to update the chapters quicker! Hope you dig it.

Prologue

"You're pathetic," Paul spat, scowling at the raven-haired trainer gaping at him. "Why do you waste all your efforts trying to please me when you should be investing your time pleasing yourself?" Ash made to interrupt but Paul continued. "Brandon once accused me of being too emotional, but so are you. Every time we battle, you're so determined to show me what you're capable of, but you never do."

Ash gritted his teeth.

"You obtained badges in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova," Paul listed off his fingers, his frown deepening, "and at best you got top four in a Pokémon League ranking."

"And I'm Champion of the Orange Archipelago," Ash muttered.

"I didn't know that," Paul shrugged. "Well, there we go."

"And what?!" Ash exploded, throwing his hands in the air.

"And you did what I haven't yet been able to do," Paul declared. "You conquered the Battle Frontier. Why do you need validation from other people? You're good."

Ash's eyebrows raised into his hairline, the glower fading from his face.

"Was that a compliment?" he asked, amazed.

"An observation," Paul commented, the frown never once leaving his brow. "You know that I never thought much of Gym Leaders, and I thought even less of you when we met." He thumbed behind him. "But for some reason I can't fathom, there's a Gym Leader who thinks a lot of you."

Ash's eyes widened, the brown of his eyes more prominent in the moonlight.

"So, do as I do" Paul said slowly and steadily. "Get. Over. It."


	2. Ch1 Left A Small Town, Never Looked Back

Author's note: Please leave reviews and let me know what you think!

Chapter 1 - Left a Small Town, Never Looked Back

Ash Ketchum's eyes opened to the morning sun streaming through his open windows. He squinted, rubbing his eyes, resting his arms back above his head against the pillows beneath his head. He moved his head to the side and smiled fondly at the little yellow mouse pokémon curled up still asleep beside him. He raised his eyes to the alarm clock sat on his nightstand and grinned. He had an hour.

He leapt out of bed, leaving his bed sheets in disarray as he dived into the bathroom. He quickly showered, towel dried his mass of black hair and came back into his bedroom. He pulled a black t-shirt on, throwing on a pair of jeans and pushed his feet into a pair of trainers. He grabbed a hoody and placed his favourite hat on his head, hiding most of his unkempt hair.

"Pikapi?" the little electric pokémon asked sleepily, sitting up on Ash's bed.

"Hey, buddy," Ash greeted his Pika-pal, petting him behind the ears, prompting a purr from his Pikachu.

Pikachu pointed at the clock, now showing 8:15am and Ash nodded.

"45 minutes, Pikachu," Ash grinned. "Come on, buddy. Let's get some breakfast. I can smell mom's cooking."

At that moment, Ash's stomach grumbled loudly.

"Pikapi," Pikachu sniggered, as Ash rested his hand at the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Here you go, dear," Delia chirped, placing a plate of pancakes in front of her son then turning to place a bowl of pokéfood in front of Pikachu.

"Great!" Ash exclaimed, immediately digging in. "Thanks, mom!"

"Oh, no problem, Ash," she smiled fondly, sitting opposite him with a steaming cup of coffee. She slowly took a drink from her mug, eyeing Ash over the rim. "So, when is she coming?"

Ash raised his eyebrows, his eyes shooting over to look at the clock on the wall. His eyes lit up and he grinned again.

"She said she'll be in Pallet Town before nine so she should be with us soon," he said, shovelling the last forkful of pancake in his mouth.

"Pika!" Pikachu interrupted excitedly.

"I'm surprised you wanted to stay home for a little while, Ash," Delia commented, sipping delicately at her drink.

"I was top four in the Lily of the Valley conference," Ash said, with a shrug, taking a quick glug of water. "I was top eight in Unova. I went backwards. I figured a break was needed before I decided on the next thing." His eyes glanced at the clock again. "Plus, it's a good excuse to see friends again."

"You mean _friend_," Delia teased, with a smirk.

"Oh, mom," Ash sweat dropped, rubbing the back of his head in his usual awkward fashion. "Gary's here, too, you know! He recently came back from Sinnoh to stay with Professor Oak. I hope we'll get to battle." He made a fist as the adrenaline rushed round his system at the idea of a pokémon battle.

Delia shook her head slowly as she smiled at the enthusiasm and spark lighting up the chocolate of her son's eyes. A brief knock sounded at the front door and the both of them looked up as a flash of red hair and a familiar smirk appeared around the door.

"Nice to see you've changed," Misty exclaimed.

"Pikachupi!" Pikachu trilled, leaping over the table and into the water pokémon trainer's open arms.

"Hello, Pikachu," Misty smiled, rubbing him behind the ears, squeezing the little yellow mouse close to her chest.

"Chu," Pikachu purred, rubbing his furry little head under her chin.

"Mist!" Ash grinned, leaping up from his chair. He looked down at her feet to see Misty's Azurill peering around her leg tentatively. "Cool, you brought Azurill." He crouched down and reached out, encouraging the baby pokémon to come forward.

"It's good to see you, Misty," Delia greeted her, standing to give her a gentle hug. "I'll get you something to drink."

"Thank you, Mrs Ketchum," Misty nodded, turning to her long-time best friend who now had Azurill in his arms. "Hey, Ash."

Ash gave her a crooked half-smile that made Misty feel warm inside.

"I'm glad you came," he beamed, "it's been a while since I was last in Kanto."

"You're right there," Misty agreed. "Thank you," she said, taking a glass of juice from Delia.

"How have you been, dear?" Delia asked Misty as she joined them at the table.

"There are not enough hours in the day," Misty said wearily, raising her eyes to the ceiling. "Running the gym is insane most of the time. It came as a surprise when Daisy stepped up. She spends more time at the gym these days. Lily and Violet are useless as you can imagine."

Delia tutted in sympathy.

"Is Daisy taking care of the gym while you're away?" Ash asked, setting Azurill on the table with Pikachu.

"Sure is," Misty nodded. "Though I'm presuming Tracey might be a factor."

"Tracey and Daisy?" Delia mused, raising her eyebrows.

"I've never seen Daisy like it," Misty rolled her eyes. "She invited him to look at Luverin."

"And?" Ash wondered, unimpressed.

"Three times," Misty replied flatly.

Delia laughed delicately. "Oh, that's sweet," she cooed.

Ash frowned at his mother and turned back to Misty.

"Azurill is looking so well," he commented, nodding at the little blue pokémon.

"He helped after Togetic stayed at the Mirage Kingdom," Misty smiled sadly, running the back of her fingers down Azurill's back. "The other pokémon adore him, as do I."

Ash considered his friend and looked at his mother. "We're going to go and chill in the living room, do you mind?"

"Of course not!" Delia replied.

Ash and Misty walked through the house and into the living room, their pokémon choosing to stay with Delia and Mimey who appeared to do the chores in the kitchen for Delia, and they sat down on the couch.

"So, how have you been?" Ash asked, sitting down on the grass.

"Yeah, fine," she shrugged, following suit. "Do you not have any of your pokémon with you?"

"Just Pikachu," he nodded at his partner playing with Azurill, "the rest are at Oak's lab with the other pokémon."

"We should go over to see them," Misty suggested.

"Sure," he nodded. "Did you know Gary is back in Pallet Town, too?"

"No," she answered, shaking her head. "Is he still researching?"

"I think he's home to do some work with Professor Oak," Ash replied. "So, tell me more about the gym."

"Oh," Misty frowned. "It's good. We're getting stronger and we have more pokémon at the gym now. Actually, we request that challengers have at least two badges before requesting a battle with us."

"Oh, cool!" Ash said enthusiastically. "How are the trainers these days?"

Misty pulled a face.

"What?" Ash chuckled, a curious look in his eyes.

"I mean…" she started, "they're fine but I've had a fair share of weird encounters too."

"Define weird?"

"Alright, well, you know before I visited you in Hoenn and Casey came over to the gym?" she asked.

Ash nodded slowly.

"Well, I had this… guy send a request for a battle via a Pelipper, but it turned out that all he wanted was a date," Misty frowned, rolling her eyes.

Ash stiffened.

"You never mentioned that before," he said almost accusingly.

"Well, it would have been a little random in front of May and Max," Misty told him, raising her eyebrows. "It didn't end there to be honest. Rudy called the gym as he heard I'd taken over as gym leader and he wanted to catch up. I don't know." She shrugged. "It felt weird and I was too busy, so it never happened."

Ash pressed his lips together, sitting silent. Misty peered at him.

"You remember him, don't you?"

"How could I not?" he asked tightly.

"Then of course, we had a trainer sue the gym," she went on.

"For what?" Ash asked, wide-eyed.

"He challenged us with a rock-type pokémon," she scoffed. "I told him that he's wasting his time, but he insisted. So long story short, his pokémon took a beating and they had a long recovery time because he kept pushing despite my protests. Honestly, if you're going up against Gyarados, you need a strong pokémon to take the blow."

"Please tell me that the gym wasn't sued," Ash said, rubbing his forehead.

"No, but the trainer was for wasted time," Misty smirked. "So why are you not off on your next journey?"

"Even a pokémon master needs a little R 'n' R," Ash flashed her his crooked half-smile.

Misty felt that stirring of Butterfrees fluttering in her stomach again and she had the same image of them that she first experienced in Lavender Town back in the early days of their journey together. Ash frowned.

"What?"

"Nothing," Misty shook her head, sitting up straighter on the couch. "So, anything going on with you?"

"Like what?" he asked.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Any idea on what you'd like to do next, friends you've travelled with, any dates?"

"Dates?" Ash spluttered. "Seriously?"

"I can't be the only one," she stated.

Ash shifted in his seat awkwardly. "I can't say I take much notice." He stood up. "Come on, let's go to see Professor Oak."

Misty stared at him and got up, watching as he shouted to Delia where they were going. She noted the tension in his shoulders as he walked ahead, every now and then rubbing the back of his head in that awkward way he always did.

"Hello, Professor Oak?" Ash called, as they walked into the lab.

"Hey, Ash," Gary greeted him, walking out into the lobby. He looked a little behind Ash and his face brightened after the initial surprise passed. "Oh, hi, Misty! We haven't seen you around here in a while."

"How are you, Gary?" Misty asked.

"Doing alright, Red," he nodded.

Misty frowned at the nickname but before she could reply, Ash interrupted.

"Is Professor Oak around?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, he's just in the reserve," Gary replied, "want to follow me through?"

"Sure," Ash grinned. "Come on, Misty." He reached back and took her hand, pulling her through the lab after Gary.

They reached outside and the unmistakable sight of Professor Oak was visible across the field surrounded by grass pokémon.

"Grandpa!" Gary yelled to him.

Professor Oak looked up, and so did the pokémon. This alerted pokémon from across the reserve, many of whom instantly bounded forward. Ash grinned at the greeting coming towards him then his eyes widened in horror. He first noticed his Snorlax, unmistakable in the back of the crowd of pokémon racing forward. Charizard, Heracross, Noctowl, Swellow, Staraptor, Gliscor and Unfezant flew overhead as Ash was well aware of the herd of Tauros speeding in front of the rest of the pokémon on the ground.

"Oh God," Misty groaned, loosening her hand from Ash's grip which hadn't let go since he first took hold of her to guide her through the lab through to the reserve. She dived out of the way, pushing Gary with her.

They both landed on the ground and looked in horror, mouths open as Ash was carried off with the herd.

"Ash!" Misty cried, watching as the pokémon following behind continued to race after the speeding pokémon.


	3. Ch2 Sitting by the Water

Author's note: As always, please leave me reviews and let me know what you think.

Chapter 2 - Sitting by the Water

Before Ash knew it, he felt four pairs of vines encircle his waist, lifting him out of the stampeding Tauros. He felt the ground beneath his feet again and he looked gratefully at the two grass pokémon happily looking up at their trainer.

"Thank you, Bulbasaur and Bayleef," Ash grinned, the relief evident on his face. He rubbed Bayleef gently on the head then opened his arms for Bulbasaur to jump into. He hugged him briefly and put him back on the ground as Misty, Gary and Professor Oak caught up to him.

"Are you okay, Ash?" Misty jumping in before the others could draw breath.

"Yeah, that happens every time," Ash sweat dropped with a laugh. "Hey, guys," he waved at the rest of his pokémon who were now crowded around him. They each gave their greetings before returning to wherever they were prior to Ash's arrival.

Misty snorted. "Well, he hasn't changed," she stated, pointing down at Totodile who was doing his happy dance at Ash's feet.

Ash looked down, his eyebrows raised. "Hey there, buddy," he said, crouching down beside the little water pokémon. "You're looking good."

He laughed as he watched Totodile wander off in the direction of the large lake that the reserve was built around.

"Welcome, my boy," Professor Oak greeted.

"Hello, Professor Oak," Ash and Misty echoed back.

Ash, Misty and Gary all sweat dropped in unison as they watched Professor Oak be flattened by Muk in his enthusiasm to show affection.

"Come now, Muk," Professor Oak scolded him gently, heaving himself up.

"Well, that makes two of us," Ash said gaily.

"Occupational hazard here, I'm afraid," Professor Oak chuckled. "Anyway, it's good to have you back here, Ash and Misty."

"Thank you," Misty nodded.

"How are all your pokémon?" Professor Oak asked her.

"They're great," Misty replied. She looked down at Azurill at her feet. "I've brought a few with me from the gym so I hope it's okay if they hang out here while I'm with Ash."

"Of course not!" Professor Oak smiled, waved it off. He turned to Ash. "Where's Pikachu?"

Ash said nothing. He simply pointed over to where Bulbasaur was among the greenery with a variety of other pokémon and a little yellow shape could be among them.

"I suppose he's catching up with his old buddies," Ash mused.

Gary nudged Ash. "Sorry about your Unova ranking," he said.

Ash raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "It happens," he replied. "My pokémon were awesome as always. I just have more work to do."

"So where are you off to next, my boy?" Professor Oak inquired.

"Here," Ash replied, surprising everyone but Misty. "Did mom not tell you?"

"It was a surprise for Mrs Ketchum, too," Misty interjected.

"I hear he's _recuperating_," Gary smirked at his grandpa, making quotations marks in the air with his fingers.

"Well, that's probably wise," Professor Oak nodded knowingly. "You never stop. I know your mother will be pleased to have you for a little while."

"We're going to go and let out Misty's pokémon and let you both get on with your research," Ash informed them, pulling Misty along with him, vaguely hearing the 'okay's and 'go ahead's from the two researchers.

They both walked across the reserve and stopped in front of the lake, which is when Ash nudged her.

"Which pokémon did you bring with you?" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow with a good-natured eye roll. "I'll show you." She stood upright, taking out her pokéballs, kissed them and threw them with a flourish in the air. In a flash of light, five pokémon appeared before them: Staryu, Corsola, Politoed, Gyarados and Psyduck.

Ash grinned. "I should have known Corsola would be with you," he said. Misty looked at him perplexed. "I never forgot how much you wanted one when we travelled through the Orange Islands."

"Ah," she nodded, warming at the memory. She looked down at the duck pokémon with his head in his hands. "This one here had to come with me. Daisy refused to look after him as she didn't deem him appropriate for gym battles." She paused. "I guess I can understand that. He still prefers to stay out of water despite all that training we did to teach him to swim." She rolled her eyes in annoyance.

Ash laughed at that, sitting down on the grass verge. Misty looked down at him then joined him, sitting cross-legged at his side. Ash watched the wind play at the loose tendrils of hair around Misty's face and resisted the sudden temptation to pull them back behind her ear. He shook his head. He'd been travelling a few years with other girls since she left to take over as gym leader but never had he had such impulses. He'd been so hyped to see Misty again after his travels. The last he saw of her was two years ago when he first set out to conquer the Battle Frontier and did a second tour of Kanto. He was again saddened that she couldn't do more than a few days with him when he sought out the first Frontier Brain, but he knew that it was inevitable. Yes, he knew that he needed a break and to _recuperate_ as Gary put it. Maybe he did need a pause. But he was beginning to think that was dangerous. He was 17 now and when he paused, invited his best friend to visit him in Pallet Town, he was excited, as was Pikachu. But he just felt like she'd filled this empty hole he didn't know he had. It was making him uncomfortable to realise that someone could mean that much to him. But what did he know about this kind of thing?

"Hey, is this pokémon yours?" Misty piped up, oblivious to Ash's musings.

He looked up and saw an otter-like pokémon with a little scalchop on its stomach swimming on his back towards them both. It flipped over and hopped out of the water, walking over to Ash excitedly.

"Ah, Oshawott," Ash smiled at seeing the little water pokémon. "It really hasn't been that long, Misty. He was one of my new pokémon in Unova."

"Ah," Misty nodded in understanding, watching curiously as he stood proud in a boasting manner. "He's a little odd, isn't he?"

Ash raised his eyebrows at her. "I'm surprised to hear you say that about water pokémon."

"I don't mean to state the obvious, but he's currently trying to show you how strong he is," she said flatly, pointing at the otter punching the air and slashing it with his scalchop.

"Pfft, that's nothing," Ash fobbed it off. "He would always come out of his pokéball without my permission and volunteer to battle then back out when he didn't think he could win."

"That sounds like someone else I know," Misty murmured, narrowing her eyes at Psyduck sitting a short distance away staring blankly out at the lake full of water pokémon.

Ash followed her gaze and bit his lip to keep himself from laughing.

"Do you ever get the chance to catch more pokémon?" Ash asked her.

"You must be joking," Misty sighed. "The last pokémon we added to the Cerulean Gym collection was Caserin and Luverin, mine and Daisy's Luvdisc. And of course, I have Azurill, thanks for Tracey. But otherwise, I haven't had any new pokémon. I'd love to get more. I really miss meeting new pokémon, especially the water pokémon that I don't have to battle in a gym. It's not the same."

"Are you happy at the gym?"

Misty turned to look at Ash with a furrowed brow, taken aback by the spontaneity of the simple but direct question. She opened her mouth once, then twice and looked down at her lap.

"Misty?"

"You know, it's… fine," she hedged. "Really, I do love to be a water pokémon gym leader, especially now that we have a lot more respect since my sister's don't have so much power to just give away badges without a battle." She rolled her eyes at that. "I do miss travelling. Really, I do. But I have to do this because my sisters are just so incompetent. I'm not sure how they managed before when I was travelling through Kanto, Orange Islands and Johto actually."

"But what about now?" Ash pressed. "You said that Daisy's surprised you by being there more and the girls aren't giving away badges like they used to, Tracey or no Tracey."

"I think he's an excuse," Misty pulled a face. "I'm glad she's been around more though. We're closer these days."

"I'm glad to hear that," Ash murmured.

"We just don't want to lose the gym," she voiced. "Not after everything that gym has been through." She sighed. "Not after everything we've been through," she whispered under her breath.

Ash missed the last thing she said but he caught the melancholy laced in her words and he pressed his lips together.

"I get it," he said. "The gym's been in your family for years."

"Longer," she told him, "it's been in our family generations. I guess you can see why we're all swimmers."

"Runs in your blood?" Ash smirked.

"We're not Waterflowers for nothing," Misty smiled.

"So, Miss Waterflower," Ash started, "what would you like to do?"

"You know, I get it, Ash," she confessed, "the need to just… pause. Do you still remember being ten years old?"

Ash smiled, lost in memories. "Oh yeah! I didn't forget the smack you gave me either when we met!"

"You were ten and dumb, Ash," she said as a matter of fact.

"Hey, hey!" Ash protested. "Anyway, why do you ask?"

"It was just easier," she reflected.

Ash watched her carefully as she gazed out at the water, and he felt this odd wave of affection for her come over him. He sat up straighter, gritted his teeth to control his nerves and he slowly wound his arm around her waist, pulling her into his side. He felt her tense up in surprise and initial awkwardness, take a deep intake of breath and hold it for a few seconds before releasing the tension in a steady breath. She didn't look up at him, but she allowed herself to relax into his embrace.

It was weird, he mused. This felt right, though he couldn't explain why.

"How long do you think you can be away from the gym?" he murmured into her fiery red hair.

"Probably a few weeks," she replied. "Daisy's been getting into it. Though I will check first. I think I'd see if Tracey could help out, as I don't 100% trust her alone." She paused. "Why?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to go on a diversion with me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I think it's time you added to your pokémon collection," he told her. "And I know the perfect place for a water pokémon trainer."

"_Gym leader_, Ash Ketchum," she said, poking him in the chest on each word.

"Alright!" he conceded with a laugh. "So, what do you think?"

"Where to?" she asked curiously.

"You don't get out enough," he teased her. "It's a surprise. Thought we would make a pitstop."

"Where?" she asked again, narrowing her eyes.

So, he told her, and her eyes lit up in excitement.


	4. Ch3 Flash Forward

Author's note: Thanks for the reviews so far. Please continue to let me know your thoughts!

Chapter 3 - Flash Forward

A scream reverberated around Viridian Forest, then a startled yelp followed. The sight of two trainers tangled together, all arms and legs, could be seen with a rather bemused Pikachu staring at the two of them.

"Misty," Ash choked, struggling to keep himself upright.

Misty's arms were tightly locked around Ash's throat and her legs were wrapped around his waist. Her eyes hadn't once left the Caterpie that had scared her senseless and caused the current predicament that Ash now found himself in.

"Don't you dare shove me off, Ash Ketchum!" Misty warned him, her hold on his neck getting tighter as the bug pokémon continued to make its way past them.

"It won't hurt you!" Ash objected, his hands on her arms, attempting to gently pull her arms away from his throat.

"I don't care," Misty squealed. "Bugs really bug me!"

"Déja vu," Ash grumbled, shooting a look at Pikachu who nodded back, remembering their first trip through this forest with Misty early on during his first travels around Kanto. "Come on, Misty." He tugged again at her arms, but she only held on tighter.

"No, this forest is filled with bugs," Misty protested.

Ash eyed the Caterpie disappear into the thick of the trees and he then decided enough was enough. He brought his hands to Misty's, that were currently clutching his shoulders, and he pulled her fingers back enough that she lost her grip. He quickly unwound her arms from his neck and with one hand, untangled her legs from his waist. Her feet landed on the floor, her arms loosely resting on his shoulders. He turned his head to the side to raise his eyebrows at her.

"Mist, you'll be fine," he assured her. "We had to come through here anyway."

"Fine," she reluctantly conceded. "But if we come across a Beedrill nest, I'm leaving you to fend for yourself."

"I'd expect nothing less," Ash laughed. He paused, patting her hands gently with his own. "Erm, Mist?"

Immediately she withdrew her contact with him and stood at his side. He gave her a funny look with a faint frown on his face and she nodded in gesture that they keep going. A few minutes passed and then they rounded the corner of a group of trees and a loud scream erupted from Misty's mouth. Ash sweat dropped and Pikachu looked like he was holding in a laugh as his little cheeks were puffed out with the effort. Ash's eyes bugged out when Misty suddenly tugged on his arm.

"Misty," he responded in exasperation. He considered the bug pokémon in front of them and his face brightened. "Hey, it's the same Caterpie!"

"Great," Misty replied sarcastically, "shall I pull out the party poppers?"

"I want to catch it," Ash declared, pulling out a pokéball.

"You have _got _to be joking," Misty stressed flatly.

"Of course not!"

"Don't you think you're a little beyond catching Caterpies by now?" she asked, stepping away from Ash and the Caterpie looking up at them.

"What do you mean?" Ash raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"A Caterpie is like one of the first pokémon a new trainer will catch," she went on.

"Unless they're you," Ash pointed out.

"Well, I just have good sense," she cringed, eyeing the caterpillar distastefully. "Besides, you train the likes of a feisty Charizard, a pig of a Snorlax and a disobedient Gible – I think you're beyond… that." She pointed at the bug pokémon that was now making her feel a little nauseated.

"Oh please, don't give me that," Ash said, unimpressed. "Any pokémon can be strong with training." Then he narrowed his eyes at her. "What do you mean 'disobedient'?" He made quotation marks in the air with his fingers.

"Need I remind you how long it took Gible to learn draco meteor?" Misty smirked. "I believe that it's still not a perfected move."

"It's fine, thank you!" Ash huffed.

"Oh yeah," Misty challenged, "let's borrow Dawn's Piplup and see what happens."

"Anyway, you got over your fear of Caterpie once he evolved into a Butterfree," Ash pointed out.

"Well, it was a pretty pokémon," Misty defended herself.

"And you know," Ash hedged, suddenly looking a little awkward, "Caterpie was the first pokémon I caught when we first travelled together." He rubbed the back of his head like he usually did whenever he felt uncomfortable.

Misty pressed her lips together with a slight frown at her brow.

"Yeah, I guess it was," she nodded, tracing her foot along the ground. "Eugh!" She stepped backwards, the moment lost, as the wild Caterpie had come up to Misty as the two trainers had been talking. "Pikachu, zap it!"

Pikachu looked up at the gym leader sceptically then at his master and back again.

"Pika, Pikachupi," the little mouse mumbled to himself, hopping back up onto Ash's shoulder.

"It's alright, buddy," Ash told him, rubbing the electric mouse behind the ears.

"Come on," Misty urged, tugging Ash by the wrist. "Let's go. I hate this forest."

"But..."

"You are _not _catching that Caterpie," Misty shot behind her.

"Mist," Ash whined.

"If you want to reminisce, I can throw you in a river as live bait while I fish," Misty smirked.

Ash rolled his eyes and willingly followed after her. Then as they were getting closer to the outskirts of the forest, their attentions were drawn to the sound of a snap of a branch a little further ahead of them. Ash's eyebrows raised and disappeared into his hairline.

"It's Paul," Ash stated, suddenly unaware of his companion.

Misty looked between Ash and an unfamiliar tall, lavender haired, trainer who sported a remarkable frown at his brow. Ash walked past Misty and came to a stop in front of Paul, who remained impassive.

"Hey, Paul," Ash greeted him, just like he always did in Sinnoh.

Paul stared at him, his eyes flickering over to a hovering Misty. He pressed his lips together before speaking.

"Ash," he replied simply.

"What are you doing in Kanto?" Ash asked.

"I'm here to visit Gary Oak," Paul said shortly.

"You know Gary?" Ash exclaimed, his eyebrows raising up his forehead again.

"Met him when I was in Sinnoh when he was researching over there," he replied, shoving his hands deep in his pockets.

"Ah, shame, we could have met you over there," Ash sighed, rubbing the back of his head again in that awkward fashion of his, then wincing as Pikachu gripped his shoulder a little harder in order to avoid falling off his perch there. "We're looking for water pokémon."

"In Viridian Forest?" Paul asked blankly.

"No," Ash frowned, giving him a funny look. "There's only bugs in here."

"And on that note, can we leave?" Misty spoke up for the first time during their encounter with the Sinnoh trainer who she thought definitely has a dye job.

"Misty doesn't like bug pokémon," Ash explained. "She's the gym leader in Cerulean City. She specialises in water pokémon."

Paul's expression cleared, understanding showing in his face.

"Right," Paul nodded. "I'm going now." He turned and walked past Misty, throwing a hand back in parting.

"He's a little… short, isn't he?" Misty observed.

"Mist, he's taller than me!" Ash laughed.

"No, you dolt!" Misty rolled her eyes, punching him in the arm. "I mean that he's not very talkative and a little abrupt."

"Oh, yeah," Ash snorted. "That's Paul!"

"Well… he sounds great," Misty frowned, uncertain.

Ash looked at her. "What?"

"So, what was your story with him?"

"I guess not much to tell," Ash shrugged. "I met him in Sinnoh. I kept losing to him, so he thought I was a loser. We have very different battling styles, so we didn't get on. Our biggest _thing_," Ash made quotation marks in the air with his fingers, "was that he released his Chimchar and I took him on in my team. We came up against Paul in the Sinnoh league and I beat him. He then left to battle Brandon at the Battle Pyramid. I've no idea if he managed it though."

Misty mused this for a moment, raised her eyebrows briefly then shrugged. "Come on," she nodded the way forward, "let's get out of this hell hole."

Ash rolled his eyes in jest and followed her. Within minutes they made it out and they found themselves on the outskirts of Pewter City. They both grinned at each other and sprinted their way into the city. They could make this journey with their eyes closed. They found themselves at the entrance of the Pewter City gym and experienced an immense sense of déja vu. They looked at each other, seeing the same memory reflected in the other's face and looked away with a gentle blush rising in their cheeks. This was the first gym Ash encountered on his journey with Misty grudgingly at his side before Brock had joined them. It was a weird feeling being back here to visit the gym leader once again.

A familiar roar sounded from deep within the gym and Ash recognised it immediately. The roar of the gym's Steelix. It gave Ash that same sense of excitement he always had whenever he was on battling ground. Misty observed that resolve on his face and she nudged him hard in the side which caused him to dodge out of the way in fear of further attack. Honestly, it tickled him more than caused hurt.

"We're here to see Brock, not have a gym battle," she said firmly, narrowing her eyes at him.

At that moment, the doors of the gym swung open and the tall, tanned figure with dark hair gelled up into careful spikes appeared with a welcome grin plastered on his face.

"Ash! Misty!" he greeted them both enthusiastically.

"Hey, Brock!" they replied in unison.

Misty threw her arms around her fellow Kanto gym leader, much to the surprise and jealousy of Ash. Brock briefly squeezed her back before turning to Ash and brotherly punching him lightly in the shoulder.

"It's good to see you both," he grinned.

"Same here," Ash agreed.

"The trio of misfits reunited," Brock winked at Misty.

"I believe that would be just you, Brock," Misty replied flatly.

Ash and Misty followed Brock inside the gym and joined him in the living quarters of the building. They sat down, each drinking and eating what Brock had prepared beforehand, then Misty sat forward, prodding Brock in the arm.

"Tell us," she demanded impatiently, "how come you're not off conquering the world of pokémon doctors."

"Oh, I am," Brock nodded. "I'm just on a break over summer so I thought I'd help Forrest train as the gym leader here. I'm still officially the overruling gym leader here, but trainers no longer come here to request to battle either me or my father as Forrest has made quite a name for himself."

"Ah, that's cool," Ash smiled in between mouthfuls of cake.

Misty looked at him in disgust, shaking her head, turning back to Brock.

"Well, that's great," she encouraged. "Are you able to join us on our little expedition?"

"Sadly not," Brock replied regretfully. "I have Nurse Joy coming over to check on all the pokémon, then I need to go into the city for some supplies."

"Hold on," Ash paused, twirling his fingers round by his head as if he was demonstrating going back in time, "go back. Why is Nurse Joy coming here? Take your pokémon in their pokéballs like normal."

"I don't have time to pack them up and go back and forth to the pokémon centre before the stores close," Brock told him.

"Right," Ash said slowly. "You just want her to come over here!"

Brock looked at him innocently before turning to Misty.

"Do you know where you're going?"

"No," Misty pursed her lips. "He won't tell me." She thumbed back at Ash who had continued to eat as much as humanly possible.

"What?" Ash asked affronted. "I can be mysterious."

"Yeah, like a nail in the head," Brock agreed.

Ash opened his mouth to make some clever retort, but Misty cut across him.

"Are your mom and dad around?"

"You must be joking," Brock frowned. "The two flakes are holidaying in Alola. Another reason I'm here."

Misty bit her lip, glancing at Ash.

"Well, food was awesome as usual," Ash complimented his friend, leaping to his feet. "I want to take Misty to catch water pokémon before we can no longer see what's in the water."

"Do you have a fishing rod?" Brock asked, standing.

Misty looked offended. "I'll have you know that a water pokémon master always comes prepared."

"Excuse me," Ash narrowed his eyes at her, pulling her to him by the cheek. "Master?"

Misty rolled her eyes, pushing him away. "We're equipped with lures."

"Oh God," Brock murmured under his breath. "How many did you bring?" He paused, looking between them. "Are they all Misty lures?"

"Only versions one through ten," Ash answered immediately.

"There's more than ten versions?" Brock asked, horrified.

"They're a huge success," Misty shrugged.

"I have five," Ash chuckled. "Version one is my favourite."

"Why?" Misty asked, surprise evident in her face.

"It's the first one you gave me," Ash smiled his crooked half- smile at her.

Misty gaped at him, momentarily forgetting that Brock was looking between the two of them.

"Well, Nurse Joy will be here shortly, so stop by on your way back to Pallet Town," Brock suggested, all but pushing them out of the door.

Ash and Misty shot him a thumbs up as they left the gym, laughing as they noticed a familiar flash of fuchsia hair atop a dainty figure coming down the long road towards the gym. Ash took her hand, pulling her to the path leading them off the Pewter City gym grounds and avoiding the city Nurse Joy making her way towards a love-struck Brock down the main pathway.

"Come on," Ash urged her. "This way."

Misty stared at their entwined hands, feeling the Butterfree in her stomach just as active as ever. She suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"Ash," she said pointedly, squeezing his fingers gently.

He looked back at her, down at their hands and let go. He rubbed the back of his head in his typical awkward fashion.

"Sorry," he said shortly.

They kept walking and then it suddenly dawned on Misty where they were going.

"We're going towards Cerulean City," she stated.

"Yep," he confessed, "but we're not stopping. We'll be going past the city and we have a little journey in order to get there."

Misty gaped at him.

"Okay," she murmured, allowing him to take lead.

They continued through Mount Moon and Ash surprised her by turning south once they were the other side, taking her past Cerulean City and into Saffron City. She raised her eyebrows at him when he grinned and nodded his head over to his desired destination. Her eyes widened and she snorted. A bike hire shop. It was still a running joke with them. A bike is what started it all. They hopped onto their bikes and Ash took lead, riding through Saffron City, keeping south. They reached the other side of the city much quicker than their last journey through here together. Then Misty gasped.

"Oh my God," Misty exclaimed. "We're going to Vermillion City."

Ash shot her the crooked half-smile that set the kaleidoscope in Misty's stomach to flutter at warp speed.

"We sure are!" Ash nodded. "Come on. We still need to do a little more cycling then we'll get there."

"Awesome," Misty said, giving him a soft smile.

They continued peddling and some words went through their heads as they headed in the very direction that Misty suggested the first time Ash wanted to go to Cerulean City for the cascade badge.

_There's neat pokémon, the yachts pulling into the harbour and a spot way up on a hill where you can sit and watch a romantic sunset._

Ash smiled to himself and caught Misty's eye. They looked away from each other awkwardly but continued on. Eventually, Ash braked to a halt, causing Misty to shoot past. She skidded expertly to a stop.

"Seriously, what was that?" Misty yelled at him.

"Sorry," Ash laughed. "We can secure our bikes to those stands over there."

They did so and Ash pointed in the direction of Vermillion Harbour. Misty's eyes widened.

"Oh my, Ash!" she squealed. "I can catch one here!"

"So close to home," he laughed, as she flung her arms around his neck in her excitement and then his laughter abruptly stopped as she kissed him on the cheek.

She instantly let him go and stepped away.

"Sorry," she apologised, drawing a line of dirt in the ground with the toe of her sneaker. "I only do that with my pokémon." She gave a nervous laugh.

"Well, get out your Misty lures," Ash ordered. "We're going fishing."

Sometime later, a loud squeal could be heard echoing across the waters of the harbour. Ash wiped the sweat from his forehead in relief. He couldn't help the grin from bursting out of him as he watched Misty hug her pokéball to her cheek.

"I'm so happy!" Misty sang. "I must welcome it properly."

She kissed her pokéball, raised her hand above her head and gracefully threw it at the water. In a beam of light, Misty's Tentacruel appeared before them in the water. The light glistened over its clear, light blue body, the two large, red orbs on either side of the centre orb glowing a bright red to show its excitement as it gazed up at its master from eyes in its round lower body. In the clear waves of the water, two blue, beak like appendages and numerous greyish tentacles swayed gracefully in time with the water movements.

"Isn't this pokémon just glorious?" Misty asked, not bothering to wait for an answer. She leaned over the side of the boat they were in, in order to speak directly to her new jellyfish pokémon. "That battle sure was worth it to have you as part of my family. Oh, I just love you," she cooed. "You're so pretty."

"Just like you," Ash's voice cut through her declaration of adoration for her pokémon.

Misty paused and turned slowly to look at him, sat casually in the boat across from her, his face calm.

"Did you just call me pretty, Ash Ketchum?" she teased, laughing, turning back to her Tentacruel.

She felt a shift in the boat and turned to find Ash sat next to her.

"No," he replied. "I called you beautiful."

Before she could reply, he leaned over, taking her cheek in his hand, and kissed her chastely on the lips.


	5. Ch4 Secrets and Walls

Author's note: Reviews would be awesome - hope it's a good one.

Chapter 4 - Secrets and Walls

Ash stared out of the open doorway into the vast field at the back of his house. The sunlight bounced off the surface of the lake in the distance. It was this that was the cause of his musings. It was when a hand waved in front of his face that his reverie was broken. He turned to see Delia staring at him with a frown.

"Dear, I was calling you for five minutes," she said. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, yeah," Ash replied, shaking his head. "I guess I was a little out of it."

He turned from the back door and took a seat at the table, head resting on his hand, staring at the details of the wooden top. He traced the lines of the wood with his finger absentmindedly, unaware of his mother's scrutiny. Delia sat opposite him and considered him silently, head cocked to the side. His eyes raised up to meet her face and he flickered them back to the table.

"Are you going to tell me what's on your mind?"

Ash looked up at her, resting his arms flat on the table in front of him with a sigh.

"There have only been two times I've seen you look like this," Delia told him, listing off on her fingers. "First, when you lost to Ritchie at the Indigo Plateau Conference… and second, when you first parted ways with Brock and Misty before you left for Hoenn." She reached over and rested her hands on each of her son's. "Speak to me."

Ash released a gust of air from his lungs and he sat back, moving his hands a little further down the table, Delia's fingers still resting on his.

"Alright," he shrugged. "It's just… Misty."

Delia pressed her lips together and folded her arms across her chest. "Alright," she nodded. "Did you have an argument?"

"No!" Ash exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. "Just the opposite. She's being weird."

"She's being weird?" Delia laughed. "Ash, you're not ten anymore!"

"Yeah, I know," Ash huffed, sitting back in his chair. "I know I'm just… clueless about girls!"

Understanding crossed Delia's face and she smiled fondly at Ash.

"Ah, so this is what this is about," she nodded. "So, I presume your trip to Vermillion City was a good one."

"Oh, the best!" Ash replied with enthusiasm. "I don't think I've ever seen her face light up so much before. I swear the colour of her eyes was reflecting the bright blue of her new Tentacruel."

Delia watched Ash intently, an unmistakable shine to her eye. Ash frowned at her.

"What is it?"

"You know, sometimes I forget how grown up you are," Delia smiled, a brief look of sadness crossing her delicate features.

"Mom," Ash said quietly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Since you left for your first journey all those years ago, you never looked back, Ash," Delia said softly, resting her elbow on the table and her fingers at her temple. "It's such a joy to have you home."

Ash got up silently from his place at the table and walked round to his mother's side, putting his arms around her in a gentle hug.

"I'm still that guy, mom," he murmured into her hair. "Just a little older, more experienced and still hopelessly clueless about girls."

Delia laughed openly, patting Ash on the arm as he sat next to her.

"Why aren't you talking to Misty about this to find out why she's being a little distant?"

"A little distant?" Ash repeated. "It's more like Lapras blasted us both with ice beam, leaving her frostier than ever before."

"There will be a reason, dear," Delia told him breezily, getting up from her chair. "It will do no good to talk to me about it. She's upstairs."

Ash took a deep breath, taking his mother's advice, turning to make his way to the stairs. As he took each step on his ascent, he could make out the sound of Misty whistling to herself, but it wasn't in the direction he thought it'd be. He turned once he reached the landing towards his bedroom and peeked his head round the door. Misty was stood with her back facing him at his bed with what looked like a pile of laundry in front of her. She was putting the folded laundry into two piles and that was when his door moved ever so slightly, alerting her with a squeak. She turned her body to look towards her and her eyebrows rose.

"Hello, Ash," she said sarcastically, "please do come in."

"Sorry, I was just seeing where you were," Ash apologised, then jokingly said, "I'm not a weirdo. I promise."

"I'm sure." Misty gave him a wry smile then gestured for him to join her. "Come on. Help me with this."

"You're going to make me do laundry? Seriously?" Ash asked, a distasteful look on his face.

"If Brock can stick a pinny on, then so can you," Misty bit back.

"He doesn't wear a _dress_!" Ash replied, horrified.

"And you haven't, Ashley?" Misty retorted, raising her eyebrows teasingly.

Ash blushed. "Fine, pass me a load."

Together they separated out the laundry which Ash learned was both his own clothing and Misty's. She commented on her amazement on how much was his considering Ash only ever allowed Brock to throw his clothes in the wash when they absolutely needed it. He replied that he suspected Delia came into his room at night to retrieve his worn clothes for washing. He expressed surprise that Misty was having her clothes washed here but she said if she went any longer without clean clothes while she was staying in Pallet Town, she'd end up smelling like Ash's Muk.

"You know, you've been here for a little over a week now," Ash hedged, "do you think you can stay away a bit longer?"

By this point Misty had turned around from Ash's chest of drawers, having relieved herself of the armfuls of laundry. She frowned at him.

"Erm, Ash," she said patiently.

"Misty," he said back, confused.

"Look at your bed," she ordered.

He looked down and recognised that the second pile of folded up laundry was his own. He looked back up at her and he shot her his signature half-crooked smile. She'd put her clothes in a drawer of his wardrobe.

"So, tell me," she said, leaping to sit on top of Ash's bed, then proceeding to hand over Ash's clothes for him to put away himself, "what did you want to see me for?"

Ash looked at her with a faint frown at his brow, as he quickly threw his clothes away in a drawer.

"I could tell from the look on your face that you wanted to talk about something," she explained.

"Alright," he nodded, pressing his lips together while his hand subconsciously found its way to the back of his head in his sudden feeling of awkwardness.

"Why are you feeling uncomfortable?" Misty probed, leaning forward, her arms resting on her lap.

"What do you mean?"

"Whenever you feel awkward or uncomfortable, you always rub the back of your head in that way," she said pointedly.

"Oh," Ash replied shortly. He was surprised that she noticed such details about him that he didn't even think twice about.

"Shoot," Misty nodded.

"Okay," Ash said reluctantly, still unsure.

He slowly made his way over and sat next to her on his bed. Misty said nothing. After a few minutes the silence was palpable, it wouldn't have been possible to cut it with a knife.

"Ash, please," Misty begged, "if you don't spit it out, I swear to Arceus, I will hit you over the head with my mallet."

Ash's head shot to his right to look at her in horror.

"You don't still have that, do you?"

"Might do," Misty warned. "Now move it, or I'm leaving." She gave him a hard poke in the side causing him to wriggle out of her reach.

"Okay, okay," he protested. "It's not easy for me to say because to be honest, I've got useless social skills when it comes to the deep stuff and I'm even worse with girls." Misty snorted but Ash carried on regardless, narrowing his eyes slightly as he continued. "But I just have to know why you're so… reluctant to be near me now."

Misty looked at him blankly.

"Ash, I don't mean to be patronising, but we're on your bed. How much closer could I possibly be?"

"I don't mean like that," he said, rolling his eyes. "I know you're pulling away… and I don't know why."

Misty had an unreadable expression on her face. She sighed, looked down and got to her feet. Some strands of flaming orange hair had worked themselves loose from her ponytail tied under her ear and she pushed them away from her face. Ash watched her pace his room patiently until she stopped dead with a breath.

"Do you remember the day I got my bike back from Nurse Joy?" she asked.

Ash's eyes widened. "How could I forget?" He pushed his hat off, running his fingers through his mass of jet-black hair. "You were… upset. Withdrawn. And I didn't know why. It kind of reminds me of how you've been since we left Vermillion City."

"I didn't want to leave, Ash," she expressed. "It was… hard." She pressed her lips together. "You and Brock… You were my best friend. I couldn't believe that you were so happy and willing for me to go."

Ash opened his mouth to protest but she cut across him.

"Then you told me that our meeting wasn't a coincidence, not that we met out of all people," Misty mused, stepping forward to pick his hat up off his bed. "You really believed that we were meant to meet and become friends and as Brock said, best friends." She ran her fingers across the fabric of his hat. She laughed gently to herself. "You know, you so rarely took this off that I thought you must have been born with this sewn to your skull."

"That's a disturbing thought." Ash pulled a face. "Give that here." He leaned forward and took hold of the hat. She refused to let go but her grip was so firm that in the end he pulled her right on top of him instead. She pushed him in the shoulder and sat herself a short distance from him on the bed. "So, why are you bringing this up?"

Misty recognised the look of distaste on his face. He didn't like to think about their parting day of their journey together either.

"I just never forgot what you said to me," she admitted. "And you got me thinking in Vermillion City."

"Huh, I must have made an impression," Ash smirked.

"Watch it, Ketchum," she threatened him, throwing his hat at his head causing him to rub his temple where he felt the hard brim had hit him. "I just don't hold a high expectation of people, or anything. The day we met, I had run out on my sisters the day before, leaving them to take care of the gym. I was angry, upset, frustrated. You name it, I had it. I needed to find myself and then you came along, giving me the perfect opportunity to, whether willing or not." She smirked. "We were never close, but I guess you and the rest of the world gathered that. It's even in the name." She spread her hands in front of her as if presenting a headline. "_The Sensational Sisters_." She cocked her head at him. "That did not include me and never had. That day, we had another of our countless arguments, and I knew I wasn't wanted, just needed." She looked at Ash who was watching intently with ample attention. "When I was five, our parents abandoned us. Even though I was young, I can still remember the screaming, the fighting, the arguments. I learned then how fragile love is. But the gym regulations were and are harsh. They couldn't cope with it and they left us. Daisy, Lily and Vi are older and they immediately took over as gym leaders. We all lost our childhood that day. So, we grew up faster than we should." She looked at Ash, his expression fixed and intense as she spoke. "You guys were my first real friends. That day when I knew I had to say goodbye to you because I was needed, not wanted, by my sisters, was the hardest day of my life. I realised that I'd let you in and I had to let you go."

Ash frowned. "Why didn't you ever say anything when we were travelling together?"

"It wasn't relevant," she dismissed it. "I was hardly going to tell you when you met my sisters." She paused. "You just didn't understand what it meant when we had to leave." She looked down at her lap where she fidgeted with her hands. "I just… couldn't tell you. If I had to tell you, then you weren't who I thought you were, and it hurt."

Her voice had cracked slightly at the memory. Ash's hand gently landed on her hands and he gripped them. She looked up at him and he saw the deep crashing waves of the ocean in her eyes. The gateway to sad memories, fears and uncertainties swam in the depths of them and he found it difficult to look away. The comforting pool of melted chocolate reminded her all too well of her travels with him. It was easy to move forward when someone distracted you for long enough.

"I just don't have faith in people, Ash," she whispered. "People enter your life, become a foundation on which you can stand on and they leave. Then you come crashing down."

"Why would I leave?" he murmured.

"Because that's what you do, Mr Pokémon Master," she replied quietly.

"I always come back," he promised. "Maybe you shouldn't put your walls back up. It took me an age to get them down. And I did that because you're my best everything, Misty Waterflower."


	6. Ch5 City Lights

Author's note: I hope you enjoy this latest chapter. Let me know your thoughts! I left footnotes in this chapter to explain some things. I wanted to keep some aspects of the Japanese culture. Hope you dig it!

Chapter 5: City Lights

Her fingers pushed the pins into her hair in strategic places, leaving her auburn hair to cascade over her shoulder in soft curls. She'd twisted her hair back from the right side of her face and pinned it at the back of her head, so it had no choice but to fall over her left shoulder. It was no longer shoulder length. She could boast that her hair fell to her mid-back now. It wasn't at all noticeable when she kept it tied in her usual ponytail, but it was far easier to maintain when she was training with her water pokémon. She blew out a lungful of air and sat back in her chair, scrutinising her reflection. Her eyes had a delicate sweep of subtle grey eyeshadow across the lid with a darker shade in the crease. The lightest shade of teal was applied to the inner corner of her eye to accentuate her almond shaped eyes. She stood and her kimono fell to her feet. She'd chosen a teal kimono, which wrapped round her waist, covered in cherry blossom flowers. The colours were striking against her red hair and she found herself feeling like the girl that she had inside. She smiled at her reflection and turned to the door.

"Ash!" she called. "Are you ready?"

"Downstairs!" his voice yelled back.

She did a 180-degree turn, made her way downstairs instead and through to the kitchen.

"Alright," she said, "let's get this party started."

Ash looked up from the table where he'd been rubbing Pikachu behind the ears and found himself transfixed at Misty's entrance.

"Oh, Misty," Delia gushed, turning from the sink, "you look lovely."

"Pikachupi," Pikachu exclaimed happily, jumping into Misty's arms.

"Thank you, Mrs Ketchum," Misty replied with a faint blush at her cheeks. "It's been a while since I've been to a festival."

"Do you not have them in Cerulean City?" Delia asked with a frown, surprised.

"Oh, we do," Misty nodded. "But gym leaders… we don't really have much spare time."

"Ah, that's sad," Delia sighed. "Well, you should love the Pallet Town festival. They do it every year. It's surprising because the town isn't that big, but I've always suspected it's because we're the home to Professor Oak."

"Makes perfect sense," Misty nodded again with a grin. Then her eyes flickered over to Ash and back to Delia. "Is that the same yukata[1] from years ago when we were in Maiden's Peak for the summer festival?"

"Goodness no!" Delia replied. "Ash is far too tall for that now. It's funny you ask because actually the one he's wearing is similar to the one I bought for him years ago."

This was why it seemed so familiar to her. Ash's yukata was simple, in comparison to Misty's kimono. It was blue and plain but the obi[2] was a much deeper shade. It suited him actually, simple and understated, but he still looked just as handsome to her.

"Pikapi," Pikachu said uncertainly, poking Ash's arm.

The two women looked at Ash and Delia bit her lip, trying her hardest not to giggle. He was gawping at Misty, his mouth agape which looked very odd. His chocolate brown eyes were wide enough that Misty mused that she could have swum in them.

Delia coughed. "Erm, honey?" She tapped Ash on the shoulder, and he jumped a mile in his seat. He looked at her with a frown, but his mouth was still hanging open. Delia pursed her lips in amusement and pushed at his jaw. "Let me close that for you. You'll catch flies."

"I'm not catching flies!" he snapped.

"What's up with you?" Misty asked, frowning.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head, jumping up. "Come on. Let's go to the festival."

"Oh, Ash," Delia called. "Gary said he'd meet you there later."

"Cool," he answered, waving as he walked out the door with Misty in tow. When they exited the Ketchum household, he looked at Misty at his side. "You look stunning, Mist."

She looked at him silently with a smile and took his hand. He looked down at their entwined hands and raised his eyebrows. Pikachu leaped up onto Misty's shoulder and she rubbed her head against his.

"I see how it is, buddy," Ash teased the yellow mouse.

They'd been at the festival for some time and after some food, an obligation for Ash, and a dance, which had reminded them both so much of their first dance together at the summer festival at Maiden's Peak, they decided to go to the Goldeen scooping stall.

They approached the plastic pool full of vibrant Goldeen and immediately, a slender girl with dark hair curly hair popped up from seemingly nowhere with two pois[3] in hand.

"Hey, you interested in catching a Goldeen?" she asked with a brilliant smile.

Misty looked this girl up and down then to Ash, who was readily taking one from her.

"Sure," he nodded, "can't be that hard!"

Misty rolled her eyes. He was always open to a challenge. She watched with a slight frown as the volunteer was hovering over Ash as he bent over the pool, eyeing a Goldeen. Then Misty couldn't help but pull a face as the brunette took Ash's hand and showed him how to gently guide the poi through the water to avoid breaking it. When Ash brought his hand out of the water and Misty spied that his poi was partly broken, she thought enough was enough.

"Okay, you have _no_ idea what you're doing," she announced, expertly using her hip to move Miss Useless out of the way. She took the second poi from the brunette and turned to Ash. "Let me show you how it's really done."

Ash's eyebrows were raised so high that Misty had to stop herself from bursting out laughing. It was like a tragic cartoon animation. He watched as she spied a Goldeen she wanted, held her poi carefully and slowly lowered it into the water. The Goldeen gracefully swam through the water and right as it made to twirl out of the way of her poi, Misty twisted her poi round and flicked it up slightly. She grinned in victory as she held her poi up, the Goldeen flopping uselessly.

"Wow!" the curly-haired volunteer exclaimed, eyes wide.

"It's not that hard," Misty replied. "I have three at the gym – two of which were caught at a festival – and one of my own."

"Gym?"

"Yeah," Ash said, "Misty's the gym leader of Cerulean City."

She momentarily looked impressed, shot Misty a look up and down and walked off to some gullible looking people with pois in hand. Shaking her head, Misty reached over to the table at the side and caught the Goldeen in the pokéball. She turned to Ash and held it out to him.

"Misty, you caught it!" he protested. "I couldn't possibly take it."

"I don't need another," she smiled. "Besides, it's about time my Goldeen had a friend."

She passed it to him with a wink. Before Ash could reply, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Ashy-boy," Gary's voice interrupted their exchange.

"Gary," Ash said, in surprise, turning to see his dark-haired friend.

"Hi, Gary," Misty nodded. "It's been a while."

"S'up, Spitfire," Gary grinned.

"I'll flame you," Misty warned him.

Gary adopted that nickname for the water pokémon gym leader after an unfortunate accident occurred at the gym some months ago, which was absolutely Gary's fault. Misty lost it and unleashed her Gyarados on him. The result was his hair was set on fire and he was forced to keep it short for a few months. Now, his hair was back in all its spiky glory and Ash was looking between the two of them in confusion. This incident was something that neither of them had told anyone and kept it between themselves. However, Misty had to admit that his bravery was something to be admired.

"Anyway," Gary continued, waving his hand at Misty as if he was dismissing her threat, "I wanted to tell you that your Sinnoh friend is here."

Ash's eyes widened. "Dawn's here?" he smiled, looking around him as if she'd appear like Beetlejuice.

Gary frowned. "Oh, please," he stressed, "do you honestly think that I would be here talking to you if she was here?"

"Okay, point taken," Ash laughed, raising his hands in surrender. "So, who are you talking about?"

Ash had met a lot of people in Sinnoh but honestly, to his knowledge, Dawn was the only friend of his that Gary had met.

"Paul, obviously," Gary said in such a manner that the 'duh' was implied. "He said he saw you when he was coming over here to see me."

"Oh, sure," Ash replied, shaking his head. "I thought we were more _frenemies_ than friends, but alright." He shrugged his shoulders with a laugh.

Gary wasn't listening as he was occupied by the sight of the Goldeen tank behind them.

"Were you Goldeen scooping?" Gary asked incredulously.

"Yes," Misty answered. She held out the pokéball that Ash still hadn't taken from her and waved it under Gary's nose. "Ash caught himself a new pokémon."

"I didn't," Ash protested. "That's yours!"

"And I told you that it's yours," Misty hit back. "Come on, just take it, you big dimbo."

"Well, I suppose it would give you something to do, Ashy-boy," Gary chuckled. "You can work on evolving it."

"Give me something to do?" Ash echoed, with a frown.

"You don't have one," Misty insisted, poking Ash in the side. "A gift from me. Enjoy." She pushed the pokéball into his hand.

Ash looked at her fondly, flashing her his crooked half-smile. He squeezed her shoulder and put his new pokémon at his belt with his other pokéballs. Gary looked between them inquisitively.

"What's the deal with you two?"

"Oh," they both reacted at the same time and looked at each other. "We're…" and they stopped. Ash shook his head and turned to Gary.

"We're a thing," Ash hedged.

Misty pulled a face. "Ignore him. He's an idiot. We're dating."

"Huh," Gary grunted. "Well, it's about damn time." He looked at his watch at his wrist. "Hey, I'll catch you later. I told grandpa I'd help him out at his 'pokémon show and tell' with the aspiring pokémon trainers. Later."

Ash and Misty watched him go then he looked down at her, with a thoughtful look on his face.

"What?" Misty asked.

"You," he smiled. "Look, I know I'm a complete doofus…"

"The doofiest," she agreed.

"Anyway," he stressed, narrowing his eyes at her good-naturedly, "I know I'm a complete doofus, but for some reason, you continued to follow me all over the place and it's an _epic_ feeling to know that I was right." He stood directly in front of her, with his hands on her shoulders. "In the beginning, I didn't really get you and you were as closed as Clamperl. Truth be told, you haven't changed much in all those years. But you just opened up in a way I _never _expected. And I was right. Our meeting was not a coincidence."

Misty tilted her head to the side with a gentle smile on her face as she gazed up at Ash. Silently, she leaned forward, encircled her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest as she hugged him. Neither of them needed to say anything more.

Misty sniffed and leaned back to look at Ash. "So, do you want to go for a dance?" she smiled.

"Another one?" Ash laughed.

"Sure, why not?" she glowed.

"Being here with you at another festival just reminds me of the summer festival at Maiden's Peak," Ash revealed. "I couldn't stop staring at you in that pink kimono with your hair loose."

Misty snorted, grabbed his hand and pulled him along. After a few moments, Ash abruptly stopped as he spied his alleged Sinnoh friend. Misty was yanked backwards and bumped into him.

"Oh, Ash Ketchum!" she scolded him. "Why did you stop like that?"

"Paul!" Ash called over to the Veilstone City pokémon trainer, waving when he turned around at the sound of his name.

Paul's usual frown momentarily deepened, annoyed by Ash's enthusiasm, something that never changed, but nevertheless, he came over to him.

"Hi, Paul," Ash greeted him, the awe in his voice just as evident as when he first met the trainer in Sinnoh. "I just saw Gary."

"I know," Paul replied shortly. "He just passed me on his way to see Professor Oak."

"How are your pokémon?" Ash asked.

Paul pulled a face, shook his head, not at all surprised by Ash's question.

"The professor was happy," Paul acknowledged. "I had a battle with Gary. We both have an Electivire, Nidoking and Magmar so that was helpful. They learned a lot from each other."

"You had a battle?" Ash demanded, the familiar fire in his eyes making an inevitable appearance.

Misty spotted this and she poked him in the arm.

"Ash," she warned.

Paul nodded. "It's not enough yet. We still need to do more in order to conquer the Battle Pyramid, so I'm participating in the Indigo Plateau conference this year."

"You haven't beaten Brandon?" Ash asked in disbelief.

Paul's features went stony, which Misty thought was an achievement considering this man was clearly made of stone and filled with cement to boot.

"Brandon's on some expedition researching some temple," Paul said in a manner of someone who couldn't care less. "So, I'll be battling him in a couple of months. I figured the Indigo Plateau would be the best place for my pokémon to get stronger."

Ash pressed his lips together in a frown. Some things never change.

"So, what are you doing here?" Paul asked, out of politeness which in itself was out of character.

"I recently came back from Unova," Ash answered with a shrug. "I'm just spending some time at home. It's been a while – figured I'd spend time in Kanto."

Paul looked unimpressed. "I can't say I expected that the answer would be _nothing_," he replied. "I remember when all you ever talked about was being the best pokémon master in existence."

"I still will be," Ash countered.

"Not if you hang around Kanto doing nothing," Paul bit back. Then he turned abruptly, throwing his hand up in parting and disappeared into the festivities.

Misty watched Paul go then looked at Ash who was gaping after his rival. She could almost see the cogs turning in Ash's head and she felt the temperature had dropped by a degree.

* * *

[1] There are many different types of kimono. A Yukata is the informal type, typically made of cotton and worn mainly to festivals. The basic difference between yukata and kimono is in their fabric. Yukata comes in cotton and a kimono dress comes in silk.

[2] Obi is a sash for traditional Japanese dress, such as kimonos. The style is different for men and women.

[3] A poi consists of a round plastic frame with a handgrip and paper on the frame. The poi paper can break easily when put into water so players should not move the poi too quickly.


	7. Ch6 Two-Thirty am

Author's note: Review, review, review! I hope you enjoy... things get fun.

Chapter 6: Two-Thirty a.m.

From his position on the floor in his sleeping bag, Ash was suddenly aware that the soft snoring had stopped, and he turned his head to the side to see Misty shifting in bed until she was lying on her side. A faint frown appeared between her eyebrows and a sigh passed her lips. She shuffled under the duvet cover for a few moments then her eyes fluttered open. Ash watched silently as she let out a lungful of air and flopped onto her back, staring up at the ceiling.

"Can't sleep?" he whispered.

Misty jumped. Startled, she rested on her elbows and turned to look at Ash on the floor.

"Ash!" she protested. "You could have killed me!"

"Yes," he teased, "could have."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"Guess we didn't dance enough," he said, flashing her his half-crooked smile that set the Butterfrees fluttering in her stomach.

"Are you comfortable down there?" she asked. "You really didn't have to give up your bed for me."

"Misty," he said gently, "I remember how tired you were going night after night without a proper bed when we were travelling. I'm hardly going to put you back on the floor."

"I didn't realise you had such chivalrous bones in your body," she smirked.

"Cruel, Misty," he replied.

They lay in silence for a few minutes until Misty broke it.

"Thanks, Ash," she whispered.

Ash turned his head to look at her to find her eyes fixed on him. She could see the faint smile tug at the corners of his mouth, thanks to the moonlight streaming through the open window.

"Misty," he murmured quietly, "why do you only have one Goldeen?"

She frowned and sat up, leaning on her elbows.

"What?"

"Why do you only have one Goldeen?" he repeated.

"I figured I didn't need a school of them," she shrugged, missing the point of his question completely.

"You said you've caught a few Goldeen at festivals before today," Ash pointed out. "Did you give them to your sisters?" Misty went rigid and Ash watched as her jaw tightened. "Mist?"

She stared in front of her and answered. "My sisters claimed those Goldeen as their own. It was never a choice for me to have them, even though it was me who caught them. I caught my Goldeen out in the wild."

Ash pursed his lips and frowned sadly at her. Misty glanced at him.

"Ash, it's okay," she said. "My sisters had everything they wanted, even when it wasn't theirs to have. I had a lot of hand-me-downs and I was second choice. That never changed."

"Why did you give me your Goldeen today?" Ash asked her.

She shrugged. "I've missed you, Ash. I just wanted you to have something of me when you go on your journey."

"You should join me," he said innocently.

"Maybe I will," Misty laughed shortly with a sad smile. After a pause and inhaling a lungful of much needed oxygen, she looked at Ash. "You know, when we met, that wasn't the first time that I had run away from the gym. That day, I'd had enough, and I wanted… needed to run away from that suffocating feeling that I was a mere drop in the ocean, constantly in the shadow of my sisters." She looked down with a sigh. "That's how I caught my Goldeen. A few years before we met, I had run away after an argument with my sisters and I came across a lake as I was on my way to Saffron City. It was all thanks to Staryu. He was my first friend."

Ash got out of his sleeping bag and got to his feet. He plonked himself as gently as he could next to Misty and wound his arm around her shoulders.

"If you ever feel that way again, come to me, no matter where I am," he murmured in her ear.

He felt her nod and he brought his other arm around to embrace her in his hug. He frowned to himself freely, knowing that Misty couldn't see the thoughts whirling round in his brain. He understood that suffocating feeling well. When he was standing still, the claustrophobia got more intense, until he broke free and embarked on a journey full of the many possibilities.

The next morning, Delia walked steadily up the stairs, having left Mimey to keep an eye on the breakfast. Upon reaching the landing, she saw the morning sun streaming through the slightly ajar door of Ash's bedroom. She knocked gently and peeped her head around the door. Upon her entrance, Pikachu leaped up from his basket at the foot of Ash's bed and squeezed past her legs on his way for his breakfast. Delia noticed immediately that the sleeping bag on the floor was empty and she flicked her eyes to Ash's bed, where she found Misty and her son fast asleep. Misty was lying on her back with one of her hands visible resting on her stomach. Ash was sleeping on his side, his arm draped over Misty. Delia pressed her lips together and stepped back to pull the door to, deciding to leave them to join her downstairs in their own time.

She reached the kitchen and found that Mimey had already sorted Pikachu with his food. The little mouse pokémon was already scoffing his breakfast and she smiled fondly as she rubbed him behind the ears on her way past. She was pouring juice when she heard the shrill ring of the doorbell.

"I'll get it, Mimey," she told the psychic pokémon when he made his way to answer the door. "Please, just keep an eye on the waffles. I'm sure Ash's stomach will wake him up once the smell reaches his room."

She opened the door and found Gary on her doorstep.

"Oh, hello, dear," she greeted him. "Are you after Ash?"

"Hi, Mrs K," Gary returned and nodded. "Sure am. Grandpa wants to see him. Is he here?"

"Actually, he's still in bed," Delia said, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice.

"Seriously?" Gary frowned, looking down at his watch. "It's 9:30 in the morning."

"Well, I'm sure the smell of his breakfast will wake him," she smiled. "Shall I tell him to go over to the lab when he's done?"

"Yeah, that'll be great," Gary nodded, shooting a wave over his shoulder as he left.

As Delia shut the door, she turned to find Ash rubbing his eyes as he came down the stairs. He frowned at seeing his mother standing at the foot of the stairs.

"Morning," he sighed. "Is everything alright?"

"Of course," she smiled, rubbing his shoulder once he reached the bottom. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah," Ash replied. "I just slept weird."

Delia couldn't help her reaction to that one. Her eyes widened and she stared at Ash. Ash rubbed the back of his head, further messing up his hair. He glanced at his mom and recognised the look.

"Why are you giving me that look where you know something and you're waiting for me to 'fess up?" Ash asked, narrowing his eyes.

"There's no look," Delia objected. "Anyway, that was Gary at the door. He wanted you to join him at Professor Oak's lab once you're done here."

"Oh, cool." Ash's face brightened. "I'll just get changed and I'll head on over."

"Whoa," Delia said, taking hold of his shoulders. "Hold your ponyta. You still need to have breakfast and I presume Misty is still upstairs. You can both have breakfast then go over there together."

Ash glared at his mother annoyed but nevertheless nodded and went through to the kitchen, while Delia called up the stairs for Misty. He was in the middle of a mouthful when Misty appeared fully dressed and plonked herself at the table with him.

"Thanks, Mrs Ketchum," Misty smiled, accepting the plate off Delia.

"No problem, dear," Delia replied. "I realised I hadn't asked you, Misty. When you caught Tentacruel, which pokémon did you send back to the gym?"

Misty paused before she took a bite of food and glanced at Ash.

"Oh, that was actually a really hard choice," she admitted. "I visited Professor Oak after Ash and I came back to Pallet Town and he helped me send over Staryu. I guess it's not all bad. Staryu will be happy to see Starmie and my sister's can use him in battle. He loves to battle for me, so he'll be happy to do it on my behalf while I'm away from the gym."

Ash sipped at his glass of juice carefully, looking at Misty out of the corner of his eye. He brushed his leg against hers gently. She felt the silent comfort vibes that he was sending her, and he felt her leg brush closer against his.

"That's lovely, Misty," Delia smiled, reaching for her hand to squeeze it gently.

Ash finished off his waffles and shot his mom a thumbs up. He ran up the stairs two at a time to throw on a black t-shirt, a pair of jeans and a plain blue hoody. He appeared at the foot of the stairs and ran into Misty.

"Oh, hey," he said.

"Hey," Misty replied shortly with a smile. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yep," Ash nodded. "I'll just call through to mom then we'll go."

It wasn't a minute over half an hour later and Ash found himself metaphorically banging his head against a wall. It was all Misty's fault. She just _had _to ask the professor what he was researching and for the first time ever, Ash found he had no interest. He didn't understand how the professor could be so fascinated by rocks. Apparently, what started all of this was when Professor Oak was on a journey through Johto and came across a group of Onix on one side of a mountain and a Steelix on the other. He found an interest in pursuing the research in the biology of rocks, what elements changed in the Onix to give the Steelix new abilities and the type of rock it was able to tunnel through. Honestly, it sounded like a lot of waffling. All aspects of pokémon interested Ash but today, he was restless, and he found his frustrations revving up again. He just wanted… no, _needed_ to battle. He felt cut adrift doing, as Paul put it, nothing. It bothered him more than he realised.

"Ash, my boy," Professor Oak interrupted his thoughts. "You're welcome to go see Gary. He's just out in the reserve."

Misty frowned at Ash. She recognised the restlessness in eyes and the tense way he held his shoulders, like they were held up by foundations in the air. Something was bothering him, but she knew when the time came for him to reveal what was on his mind, it wouldn't be a smooth ride. She watched him turn to make his way out of the lab into the reserve and she shook her head as she continued her conversation with the professor. He was interested in the relationship between water and rock pokémon now and she knew she wouldn't get away from this topic for a while.

"Hey, Ash," Gary waved at his childhood friend.

He was crouched next to the lake with a variety of water pokémon and a couple of grass pokémon sat next to him on the grass verge. Ash spotted his Bulbasaur among them and he smiled fondly at his old friend.

"Have you seen Grandpa?" Gary asked, standing upright.

"Yeah, he's talking to Misty inside," Ash nodded.

Gary squinted at Ash slightly in the sunlight and he tilted his head slightly to the side.

"What's going on between you two?"

"Misty already told you yesterday at the festival," Ash pointed out, then frowned. "We're… just more than friends, I guess."

"This why I'm asking," Gary said flatly. "You guess?"

"What do you want me to say?" Ash asked in exasperation.

"Maybe anything that wouldn't cause Misty to break your nose if she heard such answers," Gary suggested.

"The day Misty stops trying to break one of my limbs, is the day she goes for anger management," Ash replied.

"True," Gary agreed.

"Speaking of which, what happened between you two?" Ash asked. "She looked ready to beat you with a mallet when we saw each other yesterday."

"Oh, that," Gary laughed. "I'll let her tell you that one because if I told you my side of the story, she would beat me to a pulp, claiming that it was my fault."

"Alright, you have to tell me," Ash insisted.

"I'll leave that to your girlfriend," Gary retorted.

Ash's face went dark and his jaw hardened. Gary watched Ash's shoulders tense up as they always did whenever he was frustrated about something. Gary decided to change the subject.

"So, have you decided where you're travelling next?"

That was the wrong thing to say.

"What?" Ash asked sharply.

"What's the matter?"

"I haven't decided what journey I'm going on next," Ash said shortly. "What are you up to these days?"

"I'm sticking around for a while," Gary replied. "I'm doing some research with Grandpa and I'm training with Paul's pokémon while he prepares for some upcoming battles."

Ash's interest was piqued.

"Oh yeah," Ash recalled. "Paul said he met you in Sinnoh. I thought he only left his pokémon with his brother."

"He does," Gary agreed. "But when we met, I had my Electivire out and he challenged me to a battle. Three on three. I won. And I realised that he gave respect to those who pose a challenge to him. I gave him that and when he realised that I was researching alongside my Grandpa, he wanted more time with my pokémon, and to meet the professor."

"He told me he's competing in the Indigo Plateau," Ash revealed. "I was a little surprised to find him here and that he hasn't conquered the Battle Frontier yet."

"He still has work to do," Gary echoed Paul's words. "He asked me why you're here."

"I live here," Ash said flatly, as if Gary was thick.

"It's not like you to stick around for long though," Gary pointed out.

"I'm just spending time with mom and Misty came to visit," Ash shrugged. "It's been a while."

"Uh huh," Gary nodded sceptically, "and I'm Lance. Let's have a battle."

Ash stared at him in surprise then that familiar fire appeared in his deep chocolate brown eyes.

Misty found herself in a deep sleep that night. She was faintly aware of a breeze brushing against her bare arms and she shot up in bed. She glanced at the floor to find it empty where Ash usually was at this time of night. The door was slightly ajar, and she swung her legs out of bed. A bright spark of light caught her eye and she looked outside of the window to see a bolt of electricity shoot through the sky. She knew they weren't due a thunderstorm and when she glanced at Pikachu's empty basket, she could place a bet on where Ash was. She grabbed a cardigan and threw it on as she slipped her feet into a pair of sneakers and fled the room.

Ash was on the grass in the Oak pokémon reserve watching his pokémon spar with each other. His arms were wrapped around his waist in frustration. He couldn't believe he _lost _to Gary! He didn't understand himself at all the truth be told. He managed to conquer the Battle Frontier, and after two tries, defeat Brandon, the Pyramid King himself. He was ranking well, if not enough for himself, in the Pokémon Leagues and he was crowned the winner of the Orange League. He was hardly a novice, but he sure felt like one when he was around Gary or Paul. He knew he was capable of beating them, but the one time he'd managed to against each of them, the stakes were high, and he hadn't been able to do so again since. And now he opened himself up to Misty, who he had missed beyond belief on his journey through Sinnoh and Unova. But he was feeling trapped by it. Gary and Paul, his most significant rivals, were getting on in their lives and he felt cut adrift.

He heard a snap of a branch and shuffling feet coming up from behind him and he turned to see Misty approaching him. He turned back and watched Pikachu turn, run and leap into Misty's arms in delight. After a brief hug, she let the little mouse down to return to the other pokémon while she sat down cross-legged next to Ash.

"What's wrong?" she asked gently.

"I just couldn't sleep," Ash assured her. "That's all."

"Ash," she said sternly, "I know you. The only time that you are unable to sleep is when something is on your mind. You don't talk when something is eating away at you."

"Then why are you here trying to do exactly that," Ash said tartly.

"Is it your battle with Gary?" she pressed.

"Oh Christ, Misty!" he exhaled loudly, getting to his feet. "Will you let it go?"

"Am I missing something?" she demanded, following suit and standing up. "What is your problem?"

"Right now?" Ash snapped. "You."

Shock passed over Misty's face and she took a step back, hurt. A second passed and her face hardened.

"Oh, really?" she challenged. "I wasn't the one who failed to defend my honour on the battlefield today. I'm not the one letting everyone validate my existence, needing to be better than everyone else. I'm not the one declaring everyone who owns a pokémon planning to enter pokémon leagues my rival. I'm not the one who woke up at ten years old deciding that there and then I was going to be a pokémon master and to hell with everything else."

"That's rich," Ash interrupted. "You let your sisters rule your life. That gym rules your life. Both took you away from a life that you were enjoying on the road with friends."

Pikachu was between them now, holding up his little arms attempting to appeal to them both.

"It sucked at the time, yes," Misty said, folding her arms across her chest. "But it wasn't a sacrifice. This is life, Ash. Sometimes we have to do something else for a time. This doesn't mean that my whole life will be leading the gym. It's not my fault that you find yourself stuck in a rut because you're not reaching the top yet."

"Not your fault?" Ash repeated. "Did you hear what Paul said to me yesterday? I'm hanging around Pallet Town doing _nothing_!" He looked down at Pikachu. "Not now, Pikachu!" he demanded.

Bulbasaur came forward and guided Pikachu away with the other pokémon that was their current audience. Other pokémon that lived on the reserve looked irritated from afar as the usual serenity of the reserve was interrupted by the two trainers altercation.

"You're resting, Ash," she corrected. "Don't you realise how much it hurts your mom to have you gone all the time? Don't you realise how much joy she's had having you home with her the past two weeks? You're totally oblivious to anyone around you."

"Oblivious?" Ash echoed. "Are you serious? I've spent all this time with you."

"Well, give the boy a prize!" Misty exclaimed sarcastically, cutting in. "How is it that you're 17 and still a complete idiot? You have no sense or understanding of the impact you have on people. Once you're on a journey, you forget about everything you left behind you and damn the consequences."

"What are you _talking_ about?" Ash asked, the annoyance clear as day on his face.

"It's been two years, Ash!" she cried. "You claimed to be my best friend, yet I hadn't heard from you in all that time."

"A lot has been going on, Misty," he retorted.

"As is the case with everyone else, Ash Ketchum!" she argued. "You were fine yesterday, then you came across Paul and it all changed. Why?"

Ash gaped at her. "I can't sit around here doing nothing! I feel like I'm suffocating when I'm not doing anything. I went _down_ in the pokémon league rankings. Down! I just can't feel better knowing that I'm not getting better. I can't do that sitting here."

"Would that make you happy?" Misty asked quietly. "Are you happier when you're away from here?"

Ash looked at her, seeing the saddened shine in her eyes, the moisture kept at bay from falling. Suddenly, he found himself unable to answer the very simple question.

"I don't know," he replied lamely. "I never claimed to be great with people. Maybe it's like father like son. My dad was the same. Mom never talked about him often but the one time she did, I learned that he left because he couldn't stand still. He couldn't _rest_." The words sounded like a hiss. "Paul gave me the drive in Sinnoh to win. When I finally beat him, it was a chance to prove that I was better."

"Validation," Misty corrected. "You are better. You don't have to prove anything to anyone."

"It's not about that," Ash objected. "How can I achieve my dream if I'm not chasing it?"

"It's two weeks, Ash," she shrieked. "That's nothing!"

"In all that time, I haven't even trained because…"

"You've been with me," Misty finished off.

They stared at each other, realising that they'd open the can of weedles and ekans were now shooting out all over the place.

"It's a good thing I didn't hold out on the safe space you offered," Misty commented, reminding him of their conversation the night before.

"Misty, I meant that when I said it," Ash insisted.

"So, if I needed a place to turn to, I'd just have to cross regions for it," she explained. "Sorry, but we'd crash and burn."

"What?" Ash's face went blank.

"If you feel like it's a burden to be with me, then we shouldn't be together at all," she said, the words causing a physical pain in her stomach.

"What are you saying?"

"I can't spend my life waiting around for you," she stated, shaking her head as she said the words. "I've already done that, and it sucked. Pokémon battles, leagues and rivals will always be there, but time is finite." She ran her fingers through her hair as she took a deep breath. "And you want to spend that finite time proving something to yourself because your father couldn't. Look at what it did to your mom."

Ash frowned, feeling like the air had been punched out of him. His heart felt weighed down. The reality check hurt but he didn't hear the words. The frustration was still weighing him down. He didn't want to hear about his father. Delia Ketchum mentioned him the one time and she made the comparison between their personalities that at the time, Ash had found incredible. There really was no comparison between father and son. They both had that fire in their souls which always took them away from home.

"I heard once that it takes work," Ash murmured.

"Maybe," Misty replied, "but it shouldn't be painful." She sniffed and looked up at the sky, letting the tears run into her flaming hair.

"And that's been your only experience, Misty!" he protested.

"I've never had the choice to put myself first, but you've made the choice to put yourself first," Misty stated. "Again." She shook her head. "Just go, Ash. It's what you're good at."

And with that, she turned and crossed the reserve without a backward glance. Ash watched her go, having no words left in him. He turned the opposite direction that she'd walked, and he saw the last person he expected.

"Paul," he said in surprise.


	8. Ch7 It's Like the First Time

Author's note: please leave me reviews - hope you enjoy!

Chapter 7: It's Like the First Time

The scowl was as familiar as night and day. The frustration and stress that haunted Ash's face didn't pass in that moment, but confusion was added to it. Paul stepped forward towards his long-time rival, his features stony, the frown evident and a question in his eyes. He had his hands deep in his trouser pockets, his face annoyed.

"Ash," he said flatly.

"What are you doing here… at three in the morning?" Ash asked, frowning.

"Training," Paul replied, "or I was until there was a loud interruption."

"You train at three in the morning," Ash stated, ignoring his sly comment.

"It's quiet and no one's around," Paul explained, "or it used to be."

"Sorry," Ash said shortly.

"You know, I really do not care what was going on here," Paul grumbled, "but why were you and your red-head disrupting my training?"

"We had no idea you were here," Ash shrugged.

"You never seem to have an idea about anything," Paul grunted.

"What do you mean by that?" Ash asked defensively.

Paul narrowed his eyes. "Alright," Paul nodded. "Let's really get down to it then. I've known you at your worst and at your best. But right now? You suck."

"Excuse me?" Ash asked, affronted.

"You heard me," Paul said tartly. "We never got on for a number of reasons, but one of them was because you were never a hardass. We couldn't be more different and quite honestly, your stubborn argument that you were the best was exhausting and pathetic. You claimed that you were going to win every time we met, and eventually, you managed it. But it never seemed enough for you."

"I really don't need to hear this," Ash said, through gritted teeth.

"Oh, well I think you really do," Paul continued. "Whether I wanted to or not, I heard all that bullshit you were coming out with. Yes, you're sitting around here not doing anything – you're not training. So what? Because I said it, you're fixating on it."

"I'm not fixating!" Ash countered.

"You could have fooled me," Paul said sarcastically, raising an eyebrow. "Your girlfriend is more clued in than you are. I knew you were thick, but I didn't think you were stupid. It took me a long time to tolerate you, and honestly, you're still difficult to swallow. One thing I didn't think you were was unkind."

"How do you get off judging me?" Ash accused.

"I'm not judging you," Paul shrugged. "Call it an observation."

"I didn't ask for your observation," Ash barked.

"I don't care what you asked for," Paul retorted, his frown deepening. "We may never be friends, but you can count on me for giving it you straight. I heard about your ranking in the Vertress Conference. Sure, it sucks to lose. I've yet to beat Brandon which has been a goal since my useless brother failed to. But do you see me sulking? No. Do you see me blaming other people for my failures? No."

Ash made to open his mouth, but Paul cut across him.

"Stop making excuses," Paul warned. "We are _very _different trainers. Our pokémon are very different, including how they train. Look at Infernape. He couldn't train with me, but you brought out the best in him and my Electivire knew that."

"That almost sounds like a compliment," Ash commented bitterly.

"Again, an observation," Paul replied offhandedly. "What's bothering you more: that you're taking a break after going backwards or losing against Gary?"

"Neither!" Ash snapped.

"I've never given time to people," Paul said, his eyes hard. "Yet you always have. I don't care that I'm not liked. I don't care if people don't agree with how I train my pokémon. This is one of the many reasons that at some point you've wanted to punch me. But it keeps me going. I just watched the embarrassing spectacle that was your relationship. I don't need people, but you do."

"What – are you calling me weak?" Ash raised his voice.

Paul laughed incredulously.

"You're pathetic," Paul spat, scowling at the raven-haired trainer gaping at him. "Why do you waste all your efforts trying to please me when you should be investing your time pleasing yourself?" Ash made to interrupt but Paul continued. "Brandon once accused me of being too emotional, but so are you. Every time we battle, you're so determined to show me what you're capable of, but you never do."

Ash gritted his teeth.

"You obtained badges in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova," Paul listed off his fingers, his frown deepening, "and at best you got top four in a Pokémon League ranking."

"And I'm Champion of the Orange Archipelago," Ash muttered.

"I didn't know that," Paul shrugged. "Well, there we go."

"And what?!" Ash exploded, throwing his hands in the air.

"And you did what I haven't yet been able to do," Paul declared. "You conquered the Battle Frontier. Why do you need validation from other people? You're good."

Ash's eyebrows raised into his hairline, the glower fading from his face.

"Was that a compliment?" he asked, amazed.

"An observation," Paul repeated, the frown never once leaving his brow. "You know that I never thought much of Gym Leaders, and I thought even less of you when we met." He thumbed behind him. "But for some reason I can't fathom, there's a Gym Leader who thinks a lot of you."

Ash's eyes widened, the brown of his eyes more prominent in the moonlight.

"It took too long for me to gain even the slightest respect for you," Paul revealed. "You showed me what you were made of. You seem to think that if you don't stop, battles, challengers, pokémon leagues will all disappear. Well, newsflash: they won't. The best aren't the best because they never stopped. The best are the best because they persevered."

Ash pressed his lips into a thin line, bringing his hand up to run his fingers across his forehead.

"I need to be a pokémon master," Ash said firmly.

"No, you want to," Paul countered. "There's a difference. And no one knows what that title even means. Currently, you're not unbeatable, so you're not even close. You perform at your best when the stakes are high, and you know you have friends on your side. Turning them away will not help you get there."

"What then?" Ash blurted out in frustration.

"Don't be a dick, Ash," Paul said bluntly. "That's my job. When you overthink and get cocky, you lose. It's as simple as that. Friends keep you grounded."

"I'm really not great with people," Ash confessed.

"So, do as I do" Paul said slowly and steadily. "Get. Over. It."

It was early hours in the morning and Misty was sat watching the colours of the water change as the sun teased the sky before its decent in the sky. She smiled faintly at the sight of her Tentacruel bobbing on the surface of the lake. She raised her eyes and she could see the Oak laboratory in the far distance. She'd walked for a good 15 minutes to reach this lake. It was larger than the lake nearest to the lab building and it was far more populated with wild pokémon. Whenever she visited Pallet Town to see the professor, Tracey or even Mrs Ketchum, she spent time here with the pokémon she had on hand so they could enjoy being in the wild. She liked the feeling of the water running through her hair and brushing against her skin. It was pure freedom.

A burst of light momentarily brightened the immediate area where she was sat on the grass verge. She turned her head to the right, already knowing what she'd find there. Psyduck was sat next to her, the usual gormless expression on his face as he mimicked his trainer's stance. She lifted her hand and rubbed him gently on the head. She sighed and leaped to her feet, pulling her shirt over her head and slipping her feet out of her shorts. She walked up to edge of the lake and dived in, feeling the immediate effect of the water washing over her.

She wasn't stupid. She knew Ash better than he knew himself. She recognised the same thing the first time they parted ways after their time in Johto… the battle he was having with himself. He was heartbroken to have his friends leave him after everything they'd been through tomorrow, after all the support he'd had from them. It was the most intimate that they'd been with each other in all those years they'd been together, and she never forgot it. She knew that he wanted her to stay with him on their travels. but he couldn't say the words. He could only say how great it was that she had her bike back. At the time, his only choice was to continue on his journey and eventually she was forgotten. Now she knew why. He didn't want that choice.

"Hi, Psyduck," Ash said quietly.

He had been so quiet that Misty hadn't noticed him approach the lake. She turned in the middle of the lake to face him and he looked at her forlornly. She hardened her jaw, grinding her teeth and her face set. She had nothing to say to him that hadn't already been said.

"Misty," Ash murmured. "Mist… will you come out to talk to me?"

"Why?" Misty replied, treading water. "What will it achieve? You've made up your mind already how your life should go and damn the rest of us."

"Mist, please," Ash begged.

He knew she was hurt. He knew she was upset. He knew that this was worse than when they'd parted ways all those years ago. He knew that those last two years were the hardest.

"Just leave, Ash," Misty sighed exasperatedly.

"No," Ash insisted stubbornly.

Misty shook her head. However, she wasn't prepared for Ash to stand there with determination pasted all over his face, stripping his shirt off, kicking his trainers off and wriggling out of his jeans a moment later. Misty frowned, shock dominating any other facial expression that could have passed across her face. Ash was already dressed in swimming trunks, which must have been forward thinking on his behalf. But that wasn't what caused Misty to gasp.

Ash threw himself into the water in order to reach her but where she was currently treading water was far out into the middle of the lake. He kicked hard against the water and threw his arms forward to propel himself through the water. However, Ash really wasn't a strong swimmer. Water entered his lungs and he spluttered and coughed, splashing furiously. Misty's eyes widened in alarm and expertly dived under the water. This moment took her back to their travels through the Orange Islands, specifically when they ventured to Shamouti Island. When all hell had broken loose, Ash was drowning. In place of the Festival Maiden, Melody, Misty went off to rescue him, admitting that Ash was her burden. _He'll never be alone as he'll always have her. _Misty's arms wound round Ash's waist just as his head went underwater and she swam hard, holding his face above the water. Ash choked, coughing up the water and he attempted to help with getting them to the edge of the lake. They reached the grass verge and Misty dragged him out of the water so that he was lying on his back.

"What were you thinking?" Misty cried. "You can't swim!"

The blue of her swimming top was darkened to the shade of midnight, which was close to the pigment of her irises, thanks to the brightness of her eyes.

"You see?" Ash coughed. "I need you, Mist."

He said it so sincerely that she fell back onto the ground, staring at him helplessly. She felt Psyduck touch her hand and she was vaguely aware that Pikachu had appeared, poking at his trainer who was now sitting up.

"It's okay, buddy," Ash was murmuring to his partner. "I'm sorry for my outburst." He rubbed him behind the ears causing a purr to rumble in the little mouse's throat, his partner already forgiven. He looked at Misty. "I shouldn't have taken my frustrations out on you. It's not your fault."

"No, you shouldn't have," Misty replied, taking her towel in her hands and rubbing the water off her face and towelling the ends of her red locks.

"Misty," he sighed, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "It's no excuse, but I'm not good with people. I'm sorry I hurt you…"

"Of course, it hurts," Misty breathed, looking down at the towel in her lap.

Ash pressed his lips together and hesitated briefly, before reaching up to tuck stray red strands of hair back behind her ear and sliding his fingers along her jawline to lift her chin up until her cerulean blue eyes met his own.

"You mean everything to me," Ash confessed. "You always have."

Misty's eyes flickered to the side and then she allowed her eyes to meet his.

"Where is this coming from?" Misty asked.

"Let's just say I had some hard truths," Ash told her. "Look, listen." He sat directly in front of her. "Those two years when we didn't see each other in all that time… those were the most difficult years of my life. It got hard, so hard to talk to you while I was in Sinnoh and Unova. It just reminded me of the hole, the great big gaping hole, that you left behind when you had to leave me for the gym."

"It wasn't a question of you or the gym," Misty objected.

"Wait," he hushed her, pushing his fingers against her lips. "It felt easier to cut off someone I loved while I couldn't be there for you, than to be in places I needed to be without you there."

Misty's eyes widened slightly, and, in that moment, Ash knew how she felt when she swam in the sea. He could experience it by looking into the ocean hues of her eyes. She brought her hand up slowly and placed it over his hand.

"You're right, Mist," he told her. "There is more to life than pokémon battles, rivals and being a pokémon master… whatever that means. If I woke up tomorrow and those things were the only things that I could have, then it would be a miserable existence. But the reality is that they will always be there, but you won't if I make them the only things I treasure. Misty, you've been there since I started out on my journey." He gestured to the lake. "We've even come full circle. We met by the water, and ironically, you fished me out again. Forgive the pun, but I was hooked back then, too. You were better than any rival because you kept me guessing."

"Well," Misty sniffed, "it's not everyday you tell me that I'm right."

"You were right about what you said about my mom," Ash continued, taking both of her hands in his. "You were right when you told me that I changed after we met Paul at the festival. I do measure myself against other people, but I never did with you. You kept me grounded. You kept me real. You were good to me."

"Do you think those two years were easy for me without you?" Misty whispered. "Or any of those years after I left you when you went to Hoenn or travelled through Kanto to conquer the Battle Frontier? It _killed_ me knowing that you were in the same region as me, but I couldn't touch you."

"I don't want to think about the future now at like four in the morning, but I don't want to be good at leaving," Ash murmured.

"What if you don't become a pokémon master?" Misty challenged him.

"Then I'll persevere," Ash said. "The last thing I want is to have you upset with me."

"They say that it's better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all," Misty told him. "Whoever wrote that clearly never experienced the love of their life forgetting their whole existence. It makes you want to be alone because you can't lose what you never had."

She looked up at him through her thick eyelashes and shrugged.

"Of course, it hurts. Ash," Misty spoke softly, "what was that you said before about cutting off someone you lov…"

Ash heard her voice die on the last word and he sat forward, bringing his hands up to either side of her face.

"You heard me right," Ash murmured in her ear. "I needed to be alone during those long years for that exact reason." He came so close that she could feel his breath on her skin. "I love you, Misty."


	9. Ch8 A Rebel Daughter

Author's note: This is the final chapter. I shall be uploading an epilogue over the next week or so, work permitting. Thanks to all who have read this story and been part of this journey with me. Do listen to Taylor Swift's song _Mine_. You'll really connect with the story if you do - it was a fabulous inspiration. Thanks to my reviewers - please do leave me more reviews. They're the best gift you can give a writer.

Chapter 8 - A Rebel Daughter

Ash and Misty looked at each other in surprise. The early hours of the morning was evident by the sun's flirtation with the start of the day. They both rose to their feet and raced back towards the lab, sneaked out of the building and rushed down the path towards the Ketchum household. Ash's fingers snaked around hers and he squeezed her hand tighter in his grip as he peeked his head around the front door to listen for signs of his mother. It was 5:30 in the morning and there was no sign of her. Pikachu raced past his feet and entered the house, immediately making a run up the stairs towards his empty basket at the foot of his master's bed. Ash and Misty followed suit, at a much more subtle pace, on their toes to avoid alarming his mother to the fact both hadn't been in bed asleep during the night as she expected.

Thankfully, Misty had left Ash's bedroom door ajar so they could tiptoe in, so his mother was none the wiser. Misty went over to the bed and sat down. She looked at Ash uncertainly.

"What?" he murmured, his voice low.

"Don't sleep on the floor," she sighed.

Ash frowned. She pushed herself onto the far side of the bed and swung her legs onto the bed under the covers. She gestured for him to join her silently and watched as he hesitated for a moment, glanced at the sleeping bag on the floor, then crossed the room and joined her. She turned onto her side and pulled the duvet over the both of them, letting her hand rest at the side of her face. He turned to face her, placing his hand over hers. Her eyes flickered to their entwined hands, but they didn't meet his chocolate brown eyes that never failed to set off the Butterfrees in her stomach.

"What are you thinking?" Ash whispered.

She sighed.

"Mist, look at me," Ash begged.

Misty's eyes flickered to his face. A faint frown was apparent between her eyebrows.

"I'm just thinking about when I'll need to return to the gym," she muttered.

"When do you have to go back?"

"I've been away from the gym almost three weeks," Misty said softly. "It'll have to be in a couple of days."

Ash nodded sadly.

"I guess this hasn't been the most enjoyable visit you've ever had," Ash acknowledged.

"What's a journey without an argument or two?" she shrugged, the tease in her eyes as she recalled the many arguments they'd shared over their travels together.

Ash chuckled. Their eyes met and Misty looked down at their hands, fingers interlaced – the intimacy of the moment felt too intense. Ash tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear and ran the back of his fingers down her jawline. He continued to run his fingers over her shoulder and down the length of her arm, resting his hand at the dip of her waist.

"Ash," she breathed.

"You're more than any title, Misty," he told her, pulling her gently closer to him.

She made to open her mouth to reply but instead, Ash pushed his body against hers and pressed his lips against her own. At first, this kiss was chaste and gentle, then Ash rolled her underneath him and he hovered above her, keeping his weight from crushing her. He kissed her with more urgency, his tongue teasing her bottom lip playfully. Misty was lost in the tingling sensations that his touch left on her skin and how very _close _he was. She opened her mouth to allow Ash to deepen the kiss and she groaned. Ash smiled against her lips and proceeded to leave a trail of kisses along her jawline, sucking gently on the skin under her earlobe, teasing her neck. Misty's fingers were tangled in his raven hair and she pulled him closer to her. Her fingers slipped under the hem of his shirt and grazed his exposed skin. He smiled and kissed his way up her neck and caught her lips, before kissing her on the nose and rolled off her to lie on his side. He left his hand in the curve of her neck, feeling the pulse of her blood racing. She looked at him amorously, her eyes an ocean's world of blue. Her cheeks were flushed, the heat radiating off her in waves. He sighed.

"What is it?" Misty whispered.

"I was just thinking how impossible it would be to leave you now," Ash confessed.

Misty brought her hand up to rest on his chest above his heart, feeling his rapid heartbeat. She pressed her swollen lips together and looked up at him.

"It's not impossible," she disagreed. "It's just really… really hard."

Ash looked down at her with a sad smile. He thought back to the day when Misty finally had her bike back. It felt like only yesterday to him. He remembered brushing it off, the realisation that she had no reason to continue travelling with him, but that wasn't the situation at all. It was when the time came for her to leave him that he felt the first few strikes of the spade digging the gaping hole in his life. That feeling never left. He pulled her closer to him and rested his head against hers.

"Yeah," Ash murmured. "Yes, it is."

They fell asleep and the sound of their breathing was the first thing Pikachu woke up to the next morning.

Delia handed washed plates one by one to Mimey as her hands dipped in and out of the soapy water in her kitchen sink. She gazed unseeingly out of the window onto the open grasslands at the back of the Ketchum household. Pidgey were flying in and out of the tall trees, Oddish and Gloom were plodding across the grass and Caterpie could be seen disappearing into the hedgerows. She glanced at the clock on the wall to see that the hands were crawling round to ten in the morning.

"Mime," Mimey piped up, alerting her to her stilled hand in the water.

Delia looked down at her loyal pokémon and smiled.

"Sorry, Mimey," she apologised, shaking herself out of her reverie and retrieving the final dishes in the sink. "I must be deep in thought today."

"Mime, mime," Mimey responded, drying a dish slowly while keeping an eye trained his companion.

Delia looked fondly at Mimey and sighed.

"I realised that Ash and Misty have run into a few troubles this week," Delia confided in him. "Ash underestimates a mother's intuition." She shook her head. "He thinks I wouldn't realise that he wasn't in my house late in the night, but I did. I won't interfere. Ash can be a closed book when he wants to be." She sighed again and looked back at the door that Ash and Misty had passed through not too long ago. Mimey placed his hand on Delia's wrist and she smiled sadly. "I do miss him when he's gone. But he has a journey ahead of him and it's up to him to decide what that will entail."

Ash and Misty were sat by the great lake in the middle of the Oak reserve, his arm encircled around her waist and her head resting on his shoulder. They watched Misty's Tentacruel bobbing on the surface of the water, Corsola gliding across the lake, her Politoed clapping happily nearby and Psyduck sat at the lake's edge, gazing gormlessly out at the horizon. They had come to see Professor Oak some hours ago but since he got caught up in research with Gary, they decided to hang out with their pokémon. Some minutes had passed since either of them had spoken, basking in the late morning sun, until Ash suddenly had a burning question.

"Misty?" he asked.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"What happened between you and Gary?"

Misty raised her eyebrows, lifted her head off his shoulder to look at Ash, a wry smile at her lips.

"Do you keep in touch with Gary when you're travelling across regions?"

Ash shrugged. "Not really. Honestly, I speak to Professor Oak more than anyone. I have bumped into Gary on my journey a couple of times but other than that, no. It's just what with us moving about all the time, we're not really easy to track." He narrowed his eyes questioningly. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I just wondered if he ever told you what happened," she said with a laugh. "Smart boy."

"Okay, now you have to tell me!" he urged, nudging her in the side, causing her to squirm away from his fingers.

"Fine," she complied, turning to face him, sitting up straighter. "Do you remember Kim, Kai and Kail? The three idiots with Tentacruel who we battled on our last day together before I left to take over the gym?"

Ash nodded. "How could I forget? Brock and I came to even out the odds in that battle."

"Well, you'll see why I mentioned them in a minute," she revealed.

_Misty walked into the reception of the Cerulean City Gym and picked up the receiver, effectively ceasing the shrilling ring of the phone. She held the phone between her ear and her left shoulder as she swung her towel over the other._

_"Hello, Misty speaking," she answered._

_"Hi, little Red," Gary's voice greeted her down the line._

_"What do you want, Gary?" Misty asked, unable to keep the exasperation out of her voice._

_Since meeting him on her journey with Ash, she found it difficult to tolerate him. His cocky attitude irked her when she met him and her distaste for him hadn't faded much over time. His insistence on giving her nicknames was hardly warming her to him._

_"Lovely to hear your voice too, Smoochum," he chuckled. "Look, I'm doing some research with a trainer interested in water pokémon. I suggested that the Cerulean Gym would be a great place to train and learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of them. He's had a losing streak and he really wants to break out of it. He's eager to learn from you."_

_Misty growled under her breath. "Gary, I'm really busy right now," she said impatiently._

_"Please say yes," Gary urged. "I'll owe you two weeks of cleaning the pool."_

_Misty sighed. "You'll owe me a month."_

_"You're a peach," Gary told her. "Can you let us in?"_

_"Excuse me?"_

_A keen knock sounded not 20 feet from her, and she gaped at the entrance of the gym. Wordlessly, she hung up the phone and opened the door. She found Gary stood in the doorway with a stupid grin on his face._

_"Why ask if you're just going to show up anyway?" Misty muttered. She looked either side of Gary and frowned. "Where's your useless friend?"_

_"Easy," Gary wagged his finger at her. "He's coming over in five. He's just at the Pok__émon Centre retrieving his Hitmonchan."_

_"A fighting type?" Misty asked confused. "If he's so interested in water pokémon, why has he got a fighting type?"_

_"I believe you had a fairy type," Gary pointed out flatly._

_"That was different," Misty objected. "She chose me to be her trainer. Anyway, let's go to the pool. The pokémon are all swimming."_

_They went through to the gym's Olympic sized swimming pool and Gary felt impressed. Her collection of water pokémon had expanded since he'd last been here sometime ago with Tracey._

_"Wow, Gyarados is looking strong!" Gary commented._

_"He's a star," she beamed, throwing some pokéfood into the water for them._

_"Awesome!" Gary grinned, spotting Corsola. "You caught her in the Whirl Islands when you were travelling with Ash and Tracey, right?"_

_"That I did," she nodded, looking affectionately at her coral-like pokémon. "Actually, we sell Corsola horns in our new gift shop, which guests of our water shows can visit. She sheds her coral growths a lot over time, so when we clean the pool, we collect them and keep for guests to buy. They're really beautiful. I had the idea from a shop clerk I met on the Yellow Rock Isle. They're very popular, which doesn't surprise me. The first time I saw the pink crystals, I knew I had to have a Corsola of my own."_

_"That must help with maintaining this place," Gary mused._

_"That's an understatement," Misty said, blowing out her cheeks. "We're the most expensive gym in Kanto to run, what with the Olympic-sized swimming pool and everything that goes into maintaining that and needy pokémon."_

_A blast of water hit Misty in the side of the face, and she turned in shock to see Seadra swimming away in the opposite direction._

_"Nice try, Seadra," she called after it in annoyance. "I know that was you!"_

_ Gary looked between Misty and the retreating seahorse pokémon and frowned at the water gym leader._

_"Alright, what was that about?"_

_"Oh, Seadra hasn't long since evolved," she answered, rolling her eyes. "He's a little sensitive."_

_"Gary?" a deep voice called, echoing through the corridors surrounded by tanks._

_"In here, Kim!" Gary shouted back._

_Misty frowned, tilting her head to one side, wondering where she'd heard that name before. Then a tall figure with prominent eyebrows and dark wavy hair appeared at the entrance to the pool. Misty's mouth dropped open and her eyebrows dipped in anger. She turned to Gary._

_"You seriously brought him here," she accused, pointing furiously at Kim. "He is not welcome at this gym."_

_"Misty, I heard what happened when you returned to the gym three years ago," Gary shrugged, holding his hands up in surrender, "but he doesn't travel with his brothers anymore."_

_"Ha!" Misty scoffed. "And that makes it okay then!" She placed her hands on her hips indignantly and glared at the young researcher._

_"Come on," Gary appealed, "I'm asking for one afternoon."_

_"Look, I don't care if the snowflake squad has disbanded and he found that his battling skills suck without the two stooges and their cheating," Misty scowled. "He and his brothers caused great harm in this gym, not to mention to myself and my pokémon. Gyarados is sensitive around pokémon and they are the reason why!"_

_"Misty, please," Kim spoke up, stepping forward, with his hands in raised in surrender. "I am so sorry for the damage we caused here. We were idiots. Stupid. Fools. I've since been travelling alone and I was allowed to compete in official battles again, subject to requirement from the Pokémon Inspection Agency."_

_"And you think that will change my mind, why?" Misty said tartly._

_"I know you want a Tentacruel," Kim offered. "I'd be happy to show you the best places for them."_

_"I'm a water pokémon gym leader, who specialises in water pokémon," Misty stated as if he were stupid. "Don't you think I know where to catch the pokémon that I wish to capture? Besides, bribery is hardly going to change my mind."_

_At this point, Gyarados noticed the unwelcome guest and became agitated. Each of the three trainers turned to the sound of the thrashing water. Misty's eyes bugged out as she noticed that Gyarados' eyes were trained on Kim._

_"Gyarados, no!" she exclaimed, rushing forward to calm him down._

_Without hesitation, Kim brought out his pokéball and threw it, letting out in a flash of light the very same Tentacruel that tormented Gyarados alongside his then companion Tentacruel._

_"Tentacruel, poison sting," Kim ordered. "Low dose."_

_Gary looked at Kim._

_"Ah, interesting," he observed. "You're trying to weaken Gyarados so that he won't cause so much damage to himself or his environment. A bit like a sedative."_

_"Thanks for that, Dr Doolittle!" Misty screeched. "Politoed, use bubble to counteract the poison sting, then body slam on Tentacruel!"_

_The frog pokémon did as asked, effectively saving Gyarados and knocking the Tentacruel away._

_"Recall your pokémon!" Misty ordered, pulling her shirt over her head and diving into the pool. "Ssh, it's okay." She hummed silently against the large neck of Gyarados, holding tight as he continued to sway in agitation._

_Sometime later, both boys were out in the reception and Misty stormed in after having calmed Gyarados following her order that both trainers leave the poolside. Neither protested. Her eyes were blazing with fury._

_"Gyarados was traumatised by your visit the first time you came here unwelcome," Misty hissed. "You're lucky I didn't get Gyarados to send you out of here in a hurricane. I told you before: you are not welcome here. You disrespected the laws of pokémon battling, trainers, your own pokémon and this gym. How dare you come here under false pretences! If you're losing, maybe that's because you still have a hell of a lot to learn." She stomped over to the entrance and held the doors open. "Now get out of here before I throw you out myself."_

_Kim silently swept past her and vacated the building. Then she turned on Gary._

_"You follow me," she ordered, gesturing him back towards the pool where Gyarados was now swimming among the other pokémon who were eyeing the flying type nervously. She whirled around to glare at the aspiring researcher. "You knew what happened here when I returned to reclaim the gym. Gyarados was still adjusting after recently evolving and there was a lot to work through. Then the so-called 'Invincible brothers'," she spat, making quotation marks in the air with her fingers, "come here and start laying down the law. They turn on my caged Gyarados and attack him where he can't defend himself. They break all laws, almost drown me and assault my pokémon. Why would you think it was okay to bring him here? Seeing that low-life isn't what Gyarados needs."_

_"It's been years!" Gary defended himself. "I figured it would help you both and Gyarados."_

_"Oh, so this was for my benefit now?" she laughed hollowly. "Gyarados is very protective of me. He doesn't allow for trainers like that in here."_

_"Misty," he implored her._

_Misty caught Gyarados' eye and nodded subtly. Gyarados opened his large mouth and a flamethrower was aimed in Gary's direction. The flames licked at Gary's hair, which caught his eyebrows, leaving them unmistakably singed. Gary threw himself into the pool to extinguish the flames and when he leapt back out again in order to avoid Gyarados' unforgiving tail, he found that his once long locks were gone._

"That's why Gary had to go for a grade one shaved head for six months?" Ash laughed, wiping his eyes.

"He was asking for it," Misty grumbled. "I still haven't forgiven him for his recklessness and upsetting Gyarados."

"You know you shouldn't have let Gyarados' use flamethrower on Gary, Mist," Ash told her, tweaking her nose, still chuckling.

"So what? Charizard does it to you every time he sees you!" she protested.

"That's different," Ash said, shaking his head. "He's my pokémon."

"Granted," Misty grumbled. "Anyway, I didn't exactly give Gyarados the order. He was as, if not more, angry than I was to see that blithering fool again."

"Oh, Mist," Ash smiled affectionately at her. "It's going to be great fun loving you."

Misty stared at him incredulously.

"Seriously?" she asked as if she couldn't believe what had just passed his lips.

"You know, I don't know what I'll be doing next or where we'll be over the years," Ash confessed, "but I do know that you'll forever be my future." He shuffled for a moment as he reached into his jean's pocket and held up a little figurine. "Why do you think I carry mini-Misty with me everywhere? You belong with me. That's what I know for sure."

Misty felt he Butterfrees fluttering in her stomach at his revelation and she leaned forward and caught his lips on her own. She knew that Ash was slow, but it was a huge achievement that he got to this place after all these years. Distance, it seemed, really did make the heart grow fonder.

"I've forever been in love with you, Ash Ketchum," she declared. "And that won't change."  



	10. Epilogue

Author's note: I hope you enjoy the epilogue. It was great fun writing this story and thanks to all who join me here to read this story. Please, as ever, leave reviews - it's the best gift you can give a writer.  
Disclaimer: The song used in this chapter is Lady Antebellum's _Dancin' Away With My Heart_.  
Gypsophila repens are otherwise known as creeping baby's breath. Misty's Japanese name, Kasumi, is the Japanese for Gypsophila, the flower.

Epilogue

"Oh my God, Misty, like what happened to the dress we picked out for you?" Violet gasped as she stopped dead in the doorway.

Misty eyed her sister in the mirror and narrowed her eyes when Daisy and Lily appeared behind Violet. Their faces instantly mirrored Violet's upon seeing their little sister.

"Nothing happened to it," Misty replied with more than a hint of impatience. "The dress just wasn't right."

"Are you joking?" Lily asked flatly, flicking some loose strands of her magenta hair back from her face. "It's perfect. The gym has been in our family for like numerous generations. When mother picked it out when she married our father, she did so with our speciality in water pokémon in mind."

"Oh, _please_," Misty stressed, "it hardly has Goldeen embroidered into the skirt."

Daisy walked over to the said dress hanging on the back of the door across the room and ran her fingers gently over the waves of skirt that bared a beautiful resemblance to the unpredictable surf of the sea, thanks to the ruffles falling down the length of the skirt. The dress was simple in design, with thin spaghetti straps and a sweetheart neckline, the skirt fanning out Cinderella style from the nipped in waist. This wasn't a traditional dress, just like the Waterflowers. There was not a sight of white to be seen, but the dress was an ice blue, paying great respect to the family's love of water. Daisy gave it a sad smile. As the eldest Waterflower sister, she was able to recall the memories entwined in the threads of the dress.

"Misty, we never thought this day would come," Violet argued. "The least you could do is wear the dress we brought out for you."

Misty made to answer with sharp retort, but Daisy got there first.

"Vi, enough," Daisy interrupted, surprising her younger siblings. "Misty never knew our parents. She won't feel anything towards this dress like we do." She looked at Misty. "You look very beautiful, Misty."

The youngest Waterflower sister felt surprise at Daisy's words then she felt warmth. Her eyelids were dusted with subtle purple eyeshadow, her blue eyes appearing to be brighter than usual with how she felt today. She wore magenta lipstick to compliment the colours she wore today. The dress she had on for this day was a beautiful white lace appliqued plunging neckline bodice with a delicate sky-blue floor-length tulle A-line skirt. Her bright flaming red hair was twisted expertly behind her head and clipped behind her ear where locks of hair tumbled over her shoulder in soft curls. She hadn't gone for the traditional veil usually seen on brides – she wore a birdcage veil that was pinned at the side of her head with beaded white lace flowers, in Russian netting with the large diamond shape that was fashioned over her face. She always had that girl inside her wishing to feel like the girl that was always overshadowed by her three older sisters. Today, she finally felt like she outshone them all.

Lily and Violet looked at each other, feeling shame wash through them. Daisy was right. They looked at Daisy and nodded. They stepped forward and each took one of Misty's hands.

"Daisy's right," they echoed.

Misty tilted her head slightly as she considered her sisters, pressing her lips together in a half smile. Daisy wound her arm around Misty's shoulders, and they all embraced each other. This was a memory that they'd share: a moment for family.

Delia smoothed her hands over Ash's shoulders fondly as she stood in front of him somewhat tearfully.

"Oh, mom," Ash said fondly, pulling her into a hug.

"It's nothing, Ash, dear," Delia laughed, pulling away and pinching his cheek gently. "I'm just so happy that this is finally happening for you."

"It's been a long five years," Ash nodded. "So much has happened."

Ash was 22 now, right off the bat from his win at the Manalo Conference, having conquered the Alolan Pokémon League and being crowned the first Champion of the Alola region. Despite his insecurities about not travelling following his time in Unova, it turned out to pay off in abundance. When he travelled through Kalos, with support from his good friend Serena, Clemont and Clemont's little sister, Bonnie, he achieved runner-up at the Lumiose Conference. After attending Pokémon School in the Alola region, he went through leaps and bounds of successes and his confidence grew each day. His spirit never changed but his fiery disposition matured, and it showed. Delia had never felt prouder of the young man standing in front of her today.

When Professor Kukui informed the class in Alola that they were going to visit Cerulean City in Kanto for a gym battle, Ash's decision was made. He had made many contacts over the years on his travels and through various means, he obtained a diamond solitaire engagement ring. But this wasn't enough for him. He got in contact with his friends on the Yellow Rock Isle in the Whirl Islands and had Corsola horns fashioned into twin gemstones to be positioned either side of the diamond on the engagement band. Following his win against Misty and her Mega Gyarados, they spent time together while the rest of the class explored Cerulean City and they went to Cerulean Cape, where Ash proposed and where they were getting married today.

"This has been a long time in coming," Delia told him with a sigh.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, adjusting his sky-blue tie and straightening it in his matching waistcoat.

"Honey, you didn't look at Serena in any other way than a close friend when you were in Kalos," she said gently. "You kept your mini-Misty on you at all times after she gave it to you. Numerous girls came and went but you only ever had Misty on your mind."

"You knew about my Misty lure?" Ash questioned in surprise.

"Everyone knew, dear," Delia told him breezily.

Ash rubbed the back of his head awkwardly with a strained smile, then shrugged.

"Misty…" he started.

"I know," Delia smiled. "I'm pleased."

They hugged tightly. Then Ash's thoughts caught up to him.

"Hey, after he lost weight with thanks to all that crazy dancing with his pokémon, Tierno finally had the guts to call on Serena!" Ash exclaimed. "She wasn't for me."

"She knows that," Delia nodded. "It was kind of you to ask her to participate in the wedding."

"She's the best performer I know," Ash smiled. He glanced at the clock on the wall and took a breath. "It's time."

"Are you ready?" Delia straightened his jacket, raising her eyebrows when she looked up at him.

"I can't wait anymore," Ash confessed with a grin.

A knock sounded at the door and Delia turned to answer it, letting in Ash's best man.

"Hey, Ashy-boy," Gary smirked as he strolled in the room, the top three buttons of his snow-white shirt undone and his sky-blue waist coat open.

Delia looked at the tall dark-haired researcher with a look of distaste on her face.

"Honestly, dear," she tutted, "you could have at least finished getting ready."

"Not to worry, Mrs K," Gary waved it off, turning to Ash. "Are you all set?"

"Sure am," Ash nodded. "Are Brock, Tracey and Paul about?"

"Chill out," Gary rolled his eyes. "Your groomsmen are greeting guests, and everyone is being seated as we speak."

"Ash, my boy!" Professor Oak's voice boomed from the entrance of the doorway, making Delia jump three foot in the air. "Everything's ready and I believe the bridesmaids have given us the get go!"

He swept past his grandson to stand next to Delia, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, looking at Ash fondly.

"Yeah, Misty really didn't have a choice to have her sisters as bridesmaids," Gary mused.

"Well, it keeps them quiet," Ash snorted.

"Oh, you naïve man," Gary laughed. "Good luck with that one."

Ash narrowed his eyes at his childhood friend.

"You should have sent Paul in," he muttered.

"Alright, come now boys!" Delia clapped.

The wedding ceremony was being held on the beach in front of the sea, where a dominating lighthouse could be seen on the nearby cliffside. The Waterflower sisters had taken over transforming the sandy coast to be fit for a Ketchum-Waterflower ceremony. Everyone was to vacate the seafront where preparations were had, and Ash and his wedding party was to greet all the guests who were now seated. Everything was ready.

Ash stood at the edge of the beach, slightly taken aback. He hadn't really considered how many people he had met and known over the numerous years he travelled across regions. Delia immediately went on the direct path towards the group of people including Norman and Caroline, May and Max's parents, Johanna, Dawn's mother, Grace, Serena's mother, Brock's family, and Meyer, Clemont and Bonnie's father.

Professor Oak had immediately gravitated towards the professors Birch, Rowan, Carolina, Juniper, Kukui and Sycamore, to name but a few. Professor Ivy was absent. Ash had done this to prevent blue, mopey Brock making another appearance. A little way off, the Frontier Brains, Scott, the Champions and the Elite Four of the various regions were sat in a group, some in deep conversation and others in deep contemplation. Immediately, Ash noticed Brandon, Cynthia and Diantha, their presence alone so dominant it couldn't be ignored.

Ash spotted Wallace and then laughed when he noticed numerous pokémon coordinators sat around him in a large group: May and Drew, Dawn, Kenny, Zoey, Harley, Solidad and Nando. He mused that likewise pokémon performers were grouped around Aria and Palermo. He spotted Serena sat in-between Palermo and Tierno, and Shauna, Miette and Lily were among them. Dotted around the congregation, Casey, Liza, Reggie, Angie, Looker, Iris, Cilan, Lana, Kiawe, Lillie, Mallow, Todd Snap, Ritchie, Barry, Lyra, Khoury, Bianca, Stephan, Cameron, Alexa, Harrison, Morrison, Trip, Alain and Trevor were mingling with others in the wedding party. A row behind the parents, Ash smiled to himself when he noted that Max and Bonnie were sat together. They had met each other on their journey two years ago and had become inseparable ever since. Clemont was sat on the other side of Bonnie, pulling at his tie around his neck awkwardly.

Ash took a deep breath and made his way down the aisle adorned with various flowers to meet Brock, Tracey and Paul who were stood at the front awaiting the groom's arrival.

"Hi, Ash," Brock greeted him. "We're just about ready."

"Great," Ash nodded.

After several minutes, the music started, and all chatter ceased, but Ash's attention was on the end of the aisle. The sensational sisters made their entrance, with Daisy at the front, Violet following behind and Lily coming up at the rear. They were all dressed in floor-length pale gold gowns. Surprisingly they weren't extravagant or covered in beading. They certainly wouldn't upstage the bride, which Ash and Brock couldn't help smiling at. Ash's smile turned into a grin when his bride appeared. Misty followed behind her sisters, with her hands holding a great bouquet composed of delicate pink roses just coming out of bud, pale yellow lilies, vibrant violets, gloriosa daisies and gypsophila repens in both the pink-flowered double-petalled cultivated form and the white-flowered form. She was representing her family in this bouquet. After what felt like the longest minute in the world, Misty joined him at the altar made of a large archway covered in various colours of twisting sweet peas then jets of water shot into the air from the sea, forming waterspouts and streams of patterns in the air. Everyone strained to look at the water to see groups of Goldeen lined up to arrange this display and a little further out, Seaking were creating the waterspouts. It was the perfect spectacle for a Waterflower.

The time for the declaration of vows came and Ash took a deep breath as he looked down at Misty, hardly believing that they were here.

"Misty," Ash started, squeezing her fingers in his own, "it all started the day that you fished me out of a river. You followed me at the beginning of my journey after Pikachu torched your bike and it was thanks to the Nurse Joy in Viridian City that you got it back. A dominant part of myself hoped to delay returning your bike just to keep you with me longer. You were a rock in our difficult times, someone who was my perfect equal. You calmed the storm in me when an opportunity to battle presented itself. You brought me up when I was down. You were always there even when you weren't present. Throughout the years and struggles, I always knew it in my heart that we're going to make it here. I promise to love and respect you from this point forward as your husband. As my wife. My lover. My friend. And my soulmate. All I am is yours."

Misty gave him a soft smile, taking a steady breath, squeezing his fingers back.

"Ash," Misty began, "when I met you, I thought you were an irresponsible, reckless and stubborn boy. Over the years, I watched you overcome many challenges, face many obstacles and you beat them all. You achieved what everyone knew you were capable of. You stand before us all as a man standing tall and I am so proud to have been a part of this. We had years apart and we found ways to remain a part of each other's lives. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I was afraid that you were too good to be true. That maybe I didn't deserve someone to pure and beautiful and loving as you are. But here we are, surrounded by the people that I love the most. And I feel so proud and so blessed to be your wife. Ash, I was born to love you. And I always will."

After the pronouncement that their wedding vows are sealed and will now henceforth be known to all as husband and wife, Ash took Misty in his arms, bent forward to seal the deal with a kiss, promising forever. With encouragement from the cheers from the congregation, Misty wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer and deepening their kiss. Ash smiled against her lips and at last they pulled apart, arms around each other, smiling out at their witnesses. Delia was weeping in joy, Pikachu was skipping in circles with Azurill and even Paul cracked a smile.

Later in the evening, food had been cleared and an abundant amount of socialising had gone down. The separate groups that had met Ash upon his arrival on the beach had since dispersed and guests from all walks of life in the pokémon world were mingling. The chairs had been removed from their row by row assembly to make way for room to dance and on that note, the sound of a microphone directly in front of the sea alerted everyone to the newlyweds customary first dance. Misty's eyebrows raised and she glanced at Ash.

"You chose Serena to sing, rather than hire someone for the reception?" she asked him in surprise.

"She's the best performer I know," Ash smiled.

Misty shook her head with a smile, grabbing his hand and pulling him onto the makeshift dancefloor which had been placed on top of the sand. He placed his hands on her hips as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He pecked her lips in a chaste kiss and she beamed up at him, her cerulean blue eyes shining, perfectly complimenting her dress.

_I finally asked you to dance on the last slow song  
Beneath that moon that was really a disco ball  
And I can still feel my head on your shoulder  
Hoping that song would never be over_

"Ha!" Ash laughed, his eyes gazing over Misty's head, transfixed on something she couldn't see.

"What is it?" Misty asked curiously, not wanting to turn away from him.

"Well, everyone is finding someone to join us on the dancefloor with and it seems Gary is one of them," Ash grinned.

Ash twirled them round so that Misty didn't need to turn her neck like a Noctowl, and her eyes widened. They witnessed Gary awkwardly meandering over to Dawn who was in the middle of a conversation with Kenny. They watched as Gary interrupted them and offered her his hand, as Kenny looked dumbstruck at this unexpected turn of events. It appeared that she accepted, apologised to Kenny and joined everyone else on the dancefloor.

"Well, it's about time," Misty smirked. "She's had a crush on him since she found out Professor Oak is his relation."

"Seriously?" Ash asked, surprised.

"Oh, Ash," Misty sighed, placing her hand against his cheek, "never change." She reached up and kissed him.

_I haven't seen you in ages  
Sometimes I find myself wondering where you are  
For me you'll always be eighteen  
And beautiful and dancing away with my heart_

"It's like Serena knew our story," Misty commented, listening to the song as they swayed on the spot.

"Of course, she does," Ash nodded. "I had to tell her about you at some point when I travelled with you."

"Why did you have to?" Misty frowned.

"She saw my mini-Misty," he winked.

"Goodness gracious," she laughed. "Don't tell me you have it with you here."

"Alright, I won't," he complied, with a smile teasing the corners of his lips.

_I brushed your curls back so I could see your eyes  
And the way you moved me was like you were reading my mind  
I can still feel you lean into kiss me  
I can't help but wonder if you ever miss me_

"Misty, I have a confession," Ash declared.

"Okay," Misty said slowly. "Call me intrigued."

He pulled her closer and bent to her ear.

"I learned how to dance," he whispered in her ear.

"No," Misty said in disbelief.

Ash raised an eyebrow and removing one of his hands from her hips, took her hand in one of his and waltzed her away from the spot they'd been swaying. She raised her eyebrows and smiled.

"You're full of surprises, Ash Ketchum," she stated, tightening her hold on his hand and resting her other hand on his shoulder.

_I haven't seen you in ages  
Sometimes I find myself wondering where you are  
For me you'll always be eighteen  
And beautiful and dancing away with my heart_

_You headed out to college  
At the end of that summer and we lost touch  
I guess I didn't realize even  
At that moment we lost so much_

They continued to dance together, enjoying the company they'd missed in all those years apart. Misty watched the numerous couples on the dancefloor similarly enjoying the company they were with. They danced their way past Max and Bonnie and Misty couldn't help nodding towards them. Ash saw what she did. It was like seeing themselves a decade ago. It hardened Misty's resolve and it was time to tell him.

"Ash, I have a confession of my own," she told him.

"What is it, Mist?"

"How does a pokémon master fancy catching a Pichu in six months?" she asked innocently.

"That would probably be ill-advised for a water pokémon gym," Ash chuckled.

"Would it be ill-advised for a starter pokémon?" Misty asked, raising her eyebrows.

Ash looked at her confused and then it clicked.

"We're having a child?" he asked in amazement.

_I haven't seen you in ages  
Sometimes I find myself wondering where you are  
For me you'll always be eighteen  
And beautiful and dancing away with my heart_

"I told you that I was surrounded by the people I love the most," she reminded him. "You give me everything."

She was astonished to see the emotion on his face. They had come to a stop on the dancefloor where he held her face gently between his hands and he came forward and kissed her so warmly, that she knew that their child would feel that love too.

"And you are my everything, Mist," he murmured against her lips.

* * *

_You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter  
You are the best thing, that's ever been mine  
Do you believe it?  
We're gonna make it now  
And I can see it… I can see it now – Taylor Swift, 2010_


End file.
